Ananya voices concern over deepfake, says regulations need of the hour

As public figures, our faces and voices are out there. (So) I don’t know how much we can safeguard, says the actress

Yas Island: Actor Ananya Panday, whose upcoming film “CTRL” peeks into the world of artificial intelligence (AI), says government authorities need to come up with certain regulations to prevent misuse of technology.

Recently, top movie stars like Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, and Rashmika Mandanna fell victims to deepfake videos. The trailer of “CTRL” sees Panday’s character ask an AI app to “erase” her lover Joe (Vihaan Samat) from her life after she catches him cheating on her.

“It’s very scary. As public figures, our faces and voices are out there. (So) I don’t know how much we can safeguard. I think it will have to come from regulations by the government, that’s probably the only solution,” Panday said in a media group interaction on the green carpet of the IIFA Awards 2024 when asked about deepfake videos of celebrities.

Deepfake is a digital method where users can replace one person’s likeness convincingly with that of another using AI technology. Produced by Saffron and Andolan Films, ‘CTRL’ will start streaming on Netflix from October 4. The cyber thriller is directed by Vikramaditya Motwane.

Panday, who was one of the performers at the IIFA Awards 2024, said she was both excited and nervous about her stage act. “Last year, it was my first-ever stage performance at IIFA, so I was very nervous. This time too I was nervous but I had more fun. I was dancing to some of my favourite songs like ‘Jhumka’ (from ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’).

“Before I went on the stage to perform, I was like, ‘I can’t wait for it to get over’. But once it was over, I was like, ‘I want to do it all over again’. There’s nothing that compares to the rush of being on stage,” she said.