Russian President Vladimir Putin comes face-to-face with his AI double; watch how he reacted

Russian President Vladimir Putin found himself face-to-face with an unexpected guest: his own AI-generated double. The digital doppelganger, posing as a student from St Petersburg state university, seized the moment to ask Putin a question that has been the subject of much speculation: “Do you have a lot of doubles?”

The Russian President responded to the unusual guest by saying that it may look like him and even sound like him, but there’s only one person with that same voice and face, and that’s him. He said, “I see you may resemble me and speak with my voice. But I have thought about it and decided that only one person must be like me and speak with my voice, and that will be me.”

The AI double didn’t stop there, though. It also asked Putin about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence and neural networks, adding a serious note to the otherwise light-hearted exchange.

Putin’s response to his digital twin was both humorous and philosophical. “That is my first double, by the way,” he added, addressing the long-standing rumours of his alleged body doubles. The Kremlin, however, continues to deny these rumours, maintaining that the president’s health is in excellent condition.

Deepfakes: A real menace

The new video comes at a time when deepfake menace is taking over the internet. It highlights the problem of authenticity and misinformation. In past few months, many Indian celebrities including Bollywood actors and actresses as well as business tycoons have fallen prey to the deepfake technology. The govt convened a meeting with the stakeholders in the industry including big social media platforms to work on a solution to the deepfake menace. Social media platforms have been asked to take down such problematic posts within a period of 36 hours or they will have to face a penalty. 

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Also read: 'Putin is healthy': Kremlin dismisses cardiac arrest report, laughs off body double rumours