An AI-generated phone conversation between AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee is circulating on social media, misleading many into believing it is a genuine exchange.
In the viral clip, Ms Maliwal is purportedly heard describing an assault in front of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his wife, Sunita Kejriwal. She also appears to request Mr. Rathee not to create a video about the incident, followed by a discussion about Mr. Rathee’s future ‘payments.’
BOOM consulted two AI detection tools, Itisaar and Contrails, both of which confirmed that the audio is AI-generated and not an authentic conversation between Maliwal and Rathee.
This comes after YouTuber Dhruv Rathee firmly rejected what he calls “fake allegations” intended to silence him. After AAP MP Swati Maliwal claimed that she has been receiving rape and death threats following the video, Rathee uploaded.
The contentious video discusses the alleged assault on Maliwal by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar. In a cryptic post on social media platform X, Rathee made a reference to Maliwal without mentioning her name, suggesting that those who perpetrate wrongdoings are now pretending to be victims.
The backdrop to this viral clip involves a real-life incident on May 13, when Swati Maliwal filed a complaint with Delhi Police, alleging she was attacked by Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, inside the Chief Minister’s residence. Bibhav Kumar has denied these allegations and has also lodged a complaint, resulting in an FIR. The Delhi police arrested Kumar on May 18, 2024, and he is currently in police custody.
ALSO READ: Supreme Court Denies Arvind Kejriwal’s Bail Extension Request
Following this incident, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee made a video asserting that Swati Maliwal’s allegations were baseless. The fake audio recording is being shared amid this controversy, adding to the confusion and misinformation surrounding the case.
A user on X shared the AI-generated audio with a Hindi caption, which translates to English as, “Delhi. Video of Swati Maliwal and Dhruv Rathi goes viral. Swati Maliwal asked Dhruv Rathee not to make the video at your request. The beating happened at the behest of Arvind Kejriwal and Sunita Kejriwal. Dhruv Rathee makes videos on the agenda of the opposition.
Fact Check
BOOM listened to the audio closely and found a few discrepancies that suggested the possibility of it being synthetic in nature. At the 0:09 mark, where Ms Maliwal’s voice can be heard saying that she was hit in the presence of both Arvind and Sunita Kejriwal, there is a jump-cut with her voices being overlaid on top of each other.
According to reports, the audio was run through the deepfake detection tool Itisaar, created by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur. The tool’s results suggested with great confidence that the audio was a deepfake. BOOM also sent the audio clip to deepfake researchers at Contrails, who confirmed to us that the viral phone call was an “AI audio spoof” and added that “Both speakers have clear patterns of AI voice cloning.”
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
