BHUBANESWAR: At a time when the lines between human creativity and artificial intelligence (AI) have increasingly blurred, veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai on Friday fell victim to a deepfake and shared an AI-generated image of a sand art portrait of him, attributing the creation to celebrated international sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik.
In an X post, the renowned Bollywood director and producer wrote, “CAN’T BELIEVE IT My friend sent me this amazing sand picture made by our famous SAND ARTISTE Sudarshan Patnaik, a Padma Shree recipient and the best sand artist known in India from Puri, with such perfection and affection. Thank you, Sudhershan ji. Stay blessed always.” Ghai also shared the image on other platforms.
However, responding quickly to the post, Pattnaik issued a clarification saying, the sand sculpture appeared to be AI-generated.
“Namaskar @SubhashGhai1 ji, I am truly honoured to receive your message and appreciation. Sir, I am a big fan of you. With due respect, I would like to share that the sand sculpture appears to be AI-generated, and there may have been a small misunderstanding or some incorrect information. Your kind words mean a great deal to me-they are truly a blessing. With respect and gratitude,” Pattnaik replied.
Ghai later clarified on his insta handle that he is alway proud of Pattnaik. “Any way I am always proud of you. Stay blessed always,” Ghai responded to Pattnaik’s reply on Instagram.
However, the viral post, sparked an online debate, with many expressing the growing concern over misuse of AI to create deceptive image or content. “I hold Subhash Ghai ji in the highest regard. However, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential for AI to mislead. If someone of his stature can be mistaken, imagine the implications of such digital misinformation to general public,” Pattnaik told TNIE.
Pattnaik said the misuse of AI has already started impacting the artists community, as it allows unauthorised generation of their creative work. “The government should bring required laws and put a strong regulatory mechanism in place to prevent the misuse of AI,” he said.