Political parties use AI as key tool in poll campaign
From picturing their political rivals as villains of a Bollywood flick to using comic movie scenes to target each other – AI-developed videos shaped the virtual space of Delhi electoral battle for the past two months.
Since the announcement of the elections, the AAP and the BJP have embraced AI to create videos and posters that target each other, with deepfake technology playing a pivotal role.
The AI-generated content has also stirred controversy, with both parties using it to manipulate iconic images, videos and dialogues from popular culture to criticise opponents and promote their own narratives.
AAP was one of the first to spark controversy by releasing AI-generated content that targeted BJP leaders. Earlier last month, an FIR was filed against AAP after the party posted deepfake videos on its official X handle. The videos featured the faces of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah replaced with the faces of villains from classic 90s Bollywood movies, with the dialogues altered to discuss the upcoming Delhi elections.
The Election Commission swiftly responded by issuing an advisory on labeling AI videos to prevent misinformation.
Later, AAP shifted tactics and launched a new series of AI videos targeting BJP candidates, with the label stating ‘spoof’. Using a comedic AI twist, the party began posting episodes of a parody show called “BJP’s Got Latent”, a riff on stand-up comedian Samay Raina’s show “India’s Got Latent”. In these AI-generated episodes, Raina’s face is replaced with that of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while the contestants’ faces were swapped with BJP candidates.
In the first episode, the party focused on Parvesh Verma, BJP candidate for the New Delhi constituency, dubbing him “Kalesh Verma” (referring to his alleged involvement in controversies). The latest episode, released on January 29, targeted Ramesh Bidhuri, Kalkaji candidate, calling him “Ramesh Gaalibaaz.”
AAP also used deepfake AI to replace the faces of actors in clips from popular South Korean drama “Squid Game” and Bollywood movies like “Delhi Belly”, replacing the faces of the characters with those of BJP leaders, often with cheeky and critical commentary.
One notable clip from “Delhi Belly” included a scene where the BJP’s election promises were sarcastically dismissed as “shit,” a pointed jab at the party’s campaign rhetoric.
The BJP also retaliated with its own series of AI-generated content. The party took an iconic scene from the Bollywood classic “Deewar” where the legendary dialogue “Tumhare paas kya hai? Mere paas maa hai…” (What do you have? I have mother...) is delivered by Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor. In BJP’s version, Kejriwal’s face replaces Bachchan’s, with the famous line altered to say, “Aaj mere paas Sheesh Mahal hai, sharab ghotale ka paisa hai... tumhare paas kya hai?”. Shashi Kapoor’s character in the original dialogue is replaced with the phrase, “Mere paas BJP ki guarantee hai...” (I have BJP’s guarantee).
Another AI-generated video from the BJP took inspiration from Bollywood film “Deewane Huye Paagal”. In this parody, Akshay Kumar’s face was replaced with that of Kejriwal, who is humorously introduced as the “Maha Thug”. The video criticises Kejriwal for alleged corruption and governance failures, with the final line stating, “Aapda ko nahi sahenge, dadal ke rahenge” (We won’t tolerate the crisis, we will change it).
The BJP also launched an animated version of “Delhi’s Got Latent”, parodying the popular stand-up comedy show “India’s Got Latent”. In these animated episodes, AAP leaders like Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are shown as contestants, with satirical commentary targeting their political actions.
While the AAP and the BJP are locked in a fierce battle of AI-generated videos, the Congress has opted not to engage in this digital war. The grand old party has refrained from posting AI deepfakes, choosing to focus on traditional political campaigns.