Four audio clips released by BJP, purportedly exposing MVA leaders’ discussions on money and cryptocurrency, have been flagged as manipulated by advanced detection tools. Experts have criticized the misuse of deepfake technology in election campaigns, demanding accountability.
By PC Bureau
On November 19, a day before Maharashtra’s assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released four audio clips on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, claiming they expose conversations between Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), Nana Patole (Congress), and IPS officer Amitabh Gupta. The clips purportedly involve discussions around cryptocurrency and money with Gaurav Mehta, allegedly an audit firm employee. BJP described the recordings as “proof of polling fraud.”
However, investigations by the Quint revealed these audio clips were artificially generated using AI tools. Multiple advanced AI-detection tools, including TrueMedia, Hive Moderation, and ConTrails AI, analyzed the clips and flagged them as manipulated or AI-generated with high confidence.
Key Findings:
IPS Amitabh Gupta’s Clip: AUDIO 1: IPS Amitabh Gupta with Audit firm employee Gaurav Mehta speaking to
- To start off with, Gupta pronounces the name ‘Gaurav’ and ‘Lakshmi’ incorrectly.
- We ran this audio clip on the AI-detection tool, TrueMedia, which concluded that there was substantial evidence of manipulation.
- AI-Generated Audio Detector returned with 100 percent confidence which concludes that the audio is fake.
Analysis showed incorrect pronunciation of key names, and TrueMedia confirmed manipulation with 100% certainty.
- Nana Patole’s Clip: AUDIO 2: Congress leader Nana Patole in conversation with IPS Amitabh Gupta
- In this short audio clip, Patole is allegedly threatening Gupta to convert the bitcoin for cash.
- When we uploaded the video to TrueMedia’s AI-detection tool, it concluded that this audio is fake too. There was little evidence of manipulation. The voice in the clip did not match Patole’s known recordings. Both Hive Moderation and ConTrails AI flagged it as AI-generated.
Supriya Sule’s Clip: Supriya Sule in conversation with Mehta
- In this audio clip, Sule asks Mehta for cash in exchange for bitcoins.
- We compared Sule’s voice in the voice note to her interview on Samdish Bhatia’s video podcast, Unfiltered By Samdish in 2023.
- We noticed that her original voice does not match the one heard in the audio clips shared by BJP.
Comparisons with Sule’s voice from previous interviews showed clear discrepancies.
Second Gupta-Mehta Clip
ConTrails AI detected signs of AI spoofing with high confidence.
Supriya Sule dismissed the allegations, stating the clips are fabricated and politically motivated. She has taken legal action by lodging a cybercrime complaint.
Expert analysis and AI-detection tools confirm the audio clips shared by BJP were artificially generated and manipulated. The party’s claims of “polling fraud” have been discredited, raising concerns about the misuse of deepfake technology in political campaigns.
