New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has raised concern and flagged AI-generated deepfake videos of him circulating on social media. He has also urged social media users to verify such videos. For verifying those, the MP has also stated a “simple rule of thumb” before commenting.
This comes at a time when digitally manipulated clips portraying him praising Pakistan for “good diplomacy” and “completely pinning down” the Indian cricket board had gone viral on the internet.
Fact-checkers like AltNews and India Today have also confirmed that the videos were fake. The audio, lip sync, and framing were altered and fabricated from real interviews.
Shahi Tharoor issued a statement on X to clarify that the videos were “convincing-sounding AI generated voice-overs”. He claimed the videos had nothing to do with his opinions.
There are an alarming number of deepfake videos circulating of me, with convincing-sounding AI generated voice-overs over genuine footage of old interviews, having “me” saying things I have never said. Disappointed that so many on social media are believing these lies and issuing…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 9, 2026
“There are an alarming number of deepfake videos circulating of me, with convincing-sounding AI generated voice-overs over genuine footage of old interviews, having “me” saying things I have never said,” he wrote.
“Disappointed that so many on social media are believing these lies and issuing baseless comments attacking me for purported views that I have not expressed,” the post reads further.
“If a statement (video or otherwise) doesn’t appear on my timeline nor on that of the purported interviewer/media source, it’s fake news,” he wrote, while sharing the thumb-rule of verification.
