#FactCheck -Deepfake Audio Misuses Old Jaishankar Podcast to Fabricate False Claims About “Operation Sindoor”
Executive Summary
A deepfake video is being widely circulated on social media with a false claim that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar admitted in a podcast interview that India was surprised by Pakistan’s counter-response during “Operation Sindoor” and suffered some losses. However, a fact-check by CyberPeace Research Wing has found the claim to be fake. The research shows that AI-generated audio has been used to misrepresent the External Affairs Minister’s remarks.
Claim
A Facebook user shared the viral video claiming that in a recent podcast with journalist Smita Prakash, Jaishankar admitted that Pakistan’s aggressive response during Operation Sindoor had caught India off guard.

Fact Check
A review of the original interview on ANI’s YouTube channel shows that the conversation between Smita Prakash and S. Jaishankar was uploaded on May 24, 2024—well before Operation Sindoor.

Operation Sindoor reportedly began on May 7, 2025. In the original video, there is no mention of Operation Sindoor or any Pakistani counter-response, making the viral claim baseless. Further analysis using AI detection tools such as Hive Moderation and Hiya indicated that the audio in the viral clip is likely AI-generated, suggesting manipulation of the original content.

Conclusion
The viral video is fake. AI-generated audio has been used to alter an old interview and falsely attribute statements to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
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Executive Summary:
In the context of the recent earthquake in Taiwan, a video has gone viral and is being spread on social media claiming that the video was taken during the recent earthquake that occurred in Taiwan. However, fact checking reveals it to be an old video. The video is from September 2022, when Taiwan had another earthquake of magnitude 7.2. It is clear that the reversed image search and comparison with old videos has established the fact that the viral video is from the 2022 earthquake and not the recent 2024-event. Several news outlets had covered the 2022 incident, mentioning additional confirmation of the video's origin.

Claims:
There is a news circulating on social media about the earthquake in Taiwan and Japan recently. There is a post on “X” stating that,
“BREAKING NEWS :
Horrific #earthquake of 7.4 magnitude hit #Taiwan and #Japan. There is an alert that #Tsunami might hit them soon”.

Similar Posts:


Fact Check:
We started our investigation by watching the videos thoroughly. We divided the video into frames. Subsequently, we performed reverse search on the images and it took us to an X (formally Twitter) post where a user posted the same viral video on Sept 18, 2022. Worth to notice, the post has the caption-
“#Tsunami warnings issued after Taiwan quake. #Taiwan #Earthquake #TaiwanEarthquake”

The same viral video was posted on several news media in September 2022.

The viral video was also shared on September 18, 2022 on NDTV News channel as shown below.

Conclusion:
To conclude, the viral video that claims to depict the 2024 Taiwan earthquake was from September 2022. In the course of the rigorous inspection of the old proof and the new evidence, it has become clear that the video does not refer to the recent earthquake that took place as stated. Hence, the recent viral video is misleading . It is important to validate the information before sharing it on social media to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Claim: Video circulating on social media captures the recent 2024 earthquake in Taiwan.
Claimed on: X, Facebook, YouTube
Fact Check: Fake & Misleading, the video actually refers to an incident from 2022.

Introduction
India is reaching a turning point in its technological development when the AI Impact Summit 2026 is held in New Delhi. Artificial Intelligence (AI)is transforming economies, labour markets, governance structures and even the grammar of public discourse. It is no longer a frontier of speculation. The challenge facing the Summit is not whether AI will change our societies, it has already done so but rather whether inclusiveness and human dignity will serve as the foundation for this change.
India’s AI journey is defined by scale. The nation has one of the biggest user bases for cutting edge AI systems worldwide. According to projections, AI may create millions of new technology-driven occupations by 2030 and change the nature of millions more. This is a structural reconfiguration rather than an incremental alteration. The stakes are high for a country with a large youth population and diverse socioeconomic diversity.
India’s Tryst with Artificial Intelligence
India’s tryst with AI is a developmental imperative occurring at a civilisational scale not a show put on for a western favour. AI is still portrayed in many international storylines as a competition between China’s state backed rapidity, Europe’s sophisticated regulations and Silicon Valley’s capital. India is far too frequently a huge consumer market rather than a significant force behind the AI era. Such evaluations undervalue a nation that has already proven its capacity to implement technology at a democratic scale through its digital public infrastructure. AI in India is about more than just improving algorithms, it’s about giving millions more people access to social safety, healthcare, agriculture and education.
The scepticism overlooks a deeper truth, India innovates not from abundance but from urgency. India remains certain that technical advancement must be in line with social justice and inclusive growth. The recollections from history suggest that India’s greatest technological strides have often followed underestimation.
A Conclave of Contagious Ideas
India has long been the favourite underestimation of certain western observers, a nation of 1.4 billion people, the world’s fifth largest economy, a noisy democracy with inconvenient geopolitical realities, often assessed by counterparts governing populations smaller than many of its states. Advice follows in spades, sometimes from cities that mastered the art of strategic improvisation long before they preached restraint and sometimes with lectures on innovation, governance and order.
However, there are times when hierarchies need to be rearranged. It was hard to overlook the symbolism when Ranvir Sachdeva, the youngest keynote speaker at the AI Impact Summit, 2026, took the stage, “I’m here as the youngest keynote speaker at the Indian AI Impact Summit,” he said, discussing how he’s connecting ancient Indian beliefs to contemporary technology and the various strategies that other countries are doing to develop AI. In that simple articulation lay a quiet rebuttal, a civilization that once debated metaphysics under banyan trees is now debating ethics in plenary halls. History constantly demonstrates that India’s permanent address has never been underestimation.
From New Delhi to Geneva: The Global Arc of AI Governance
Now that the AI Impact Summit, 2026 is coming to an end, what’s left is not just the recollection of its size but also the form of new international dialogue. The New Delhi Declaration, a remarkable highlight of the Summit, was signed by eighty-eight nations and international organisations to support the democratic spread of AI.
The increasing complexity of the AI order was also made clear by the Summit. Pledges for investments totalled hundred of billions. The U.S. led Pax Silica effort was joined by India. SovereignLLMs in the country were introduced. At the same time, spectators were reminded that the politics of AI are inextricably linked to its promise via logistical challenges, protest disruptions and business rivalries. Although nations are not bound by the New Delhi Declaration it does represent a growing consensus that acceleration must be accompanied by governance.
The revelation that the 2027 AI Impact Summit will be in Geneva represents a significant shift in this regard. Guy Parmelin, the president of Switzerland, described the upcoming chapter as one that is primarily concerned with international law and good governance in an attempt to guarantee that the future of AI is not entirely in the hands of powerful nations. From scale and ambition in New Delhi to normative consolidation in Europe, Geneva, longtime hotbed of multilateral diplomacy, provides symbolic continuity.
Concluding Confluence
It is tempting to view the Global CyberPeace Summit (GCS), a Pre-Summit Event of AI Impact Summit held in close succession at Bharat Mandapam on 10th February, 2026. They formed a strong intellectual arc. At GCS, inclusion was not ornamental. A deeper message was conveyed by India Signing Hands’ involvement and purposeful emphasis on accessibility, digital systems must be created with, not just for, those on margins. Resilience must start at the economic level, according to the AI-enabled cybersecurity engagement for MSMEs. Participants were reminded during the talks on Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV), CSAM prevention and child safety that technological arguments only gain significance when they are connected to real-world outcomes.
When Geneva takes over in 2027, the issue will not just be how AI should be regulated, but also what ethical foundation that governance is built upon. New Delhi’s belief that wisdom and power must coexist may be its contribution to this developing narrative. That persistence has content than spectacle, as well as possibly the faint form of technical conscience.

The World Economic Forum reported that AI-generated misinformation and disinformation are the second most likely threat to present a material crisis on a global scale in 2024 at 53% (Sept. 2023). Artificial intelligence is automating the creation of fake news at a rate disproportionate to its fact-checking. It is spurring an explosion of web content mimicking factual articles that instead disseminate false information about grave themes such as elections, wars and natural disasters.
According to a report by the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions, a Canadian think tank, the most prevalent effect of Generative AI is the ability to flood the information ecosystem with misleading and factually-incorrect content. As reported by Democracy Reporting International during the 2024 elections of the European Union, Google's Gemini, OpenAI’s ChatGPT 3.5 and 4.0, and Microsoft’s AI interface ‘CoPilot’ were inaccurate one-third of the time when engaged for any queries regarding the election data. Therefore, a need for an innovative regulatory approach like regulatory sandboxes which can address these challenges while encouraging responsible AI innovation is desired.
What Is AI-driven Misinformation?
False or misleading information created, amplified, or spread using artificial intelligence technologies is AI-driven misinformation. Machine learning models are leveraged to automate and scale the creation of false and deceptive content. Some examples are deep fakes, AI-generated news articles, and bots that amplify false narratives on social media.
The biggest challenge is in the detection and management of AI-driven misinformation. It is difficult to distinguish AI-generated content from authentic content, especially as these technologies advance rapidly.
AI-driven misinformation can influence elections, public health, and social stability by spreading false or misleading information. While public adoption of the technology has undoubtedly been rapid, it is yet to achieve true acceptance and actually fulfill its potential in a positive manner because there is widespread cynicism about the technology - and rightly so. The general public sentiment about AI is laced with concern and doubt regarding the technology’s trustworthiness, mainly due to the absence of a regulatory framework maturing on par with the technological development.
Regulatory Sandboxes: An Overview
Regulatory sandboxes refer to regulatory tools that allow businesses to test and experiment with innovative products, services or businesses under the supervision of a regulator for a limited period. They engage by creating a controlled environment where regulators allow businesses to test new technologies or business models with relaxed regulations.
Regulatory sandboxes have been in use for many industries and the most recent example is their use in sectors like fintech, such as the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority sandbox. These models have been known to encourage innovation while allowing regulators to understand emerging risks. Lessons from the fintech sector show that the benefits of regulatory sandboxes include facilitating firm financing and market entry and increasing speed-to-market by reducing administrative and transaction costs. For regulators, testing in sandboxes informs policy-making and regulatory processes. Looking at the success in the fintech industry, regulatory sandboxes could be adapted to AI, particularly for overseeing technologies that have the potential to generate or spread misinformation.
The Role of Regulatory Sandboxes in Addressing AI Misinformation
Regulatory sandboxes can be used to test AI tools designed to identify or flag misinformation without the risks associated with immediate, wide-scale implementation. Stakeholders like AI developers, social media platforms, and regulators work in collaboration within the sandbox to refine the detection algorithms and evaluate their effectiveness as content moderation tools.
These sandboxes can help balance the need for innovation in AI and the necessity of protecting the public from harmful misinformation. They allow the creation of a flexible and adaptive framework capable of evolving with technological advancements and fostering transparency between AI developers and regulators. This would lead to more informed policymaking and building public trust in AI applications.
CyberPeace Policy Recommendations
Regulatory sandboxes offer a mechanism to predict solutions that will help to regulate the misinformation that AI tech creates. Some policy recommendations are as follows:
- Create guidelines for a global standard for including regulatory sandboxes that can be adapted locally and are useful in ensuring consistency in tackling AI-driven misinformation.
- Regulators can propose to offer incentives to companies that participate in sandboxes. This would encourage innovation in developing anti-misinformation tools, which could include tax breaks or grants.
- Awareness campaigns can help in educating the public about the risks of AI-driven misinformation and the role of regulatory sandboxes can help manage public expectations.
- Periodic and regular reviews and updates to the sandbox frameworks should be conducted to keep pace with advancements in AI technology and emerging forms of misinformation should be emphasized.
Conclusion and the Challenges for Regulatory Frameworks
Regulatory sandboxes offer a promising pathway to counter the challenges that AI-driven misinformation poses while fostering innovation. By providing a controlled environment for testing new AI tools, these sandboxes can help refine technologies aimed at detecting and mitigating false information. This approach ensures that AI development aligns with societal needs and regulatory standards, fostering greater trust and transparency. With the right support and ongoing adaptations, regulatory sandboxes can become vital in countering the spread of AI-generated misinformation, paving the way for a more secure and informed digital ecosystem.
References
- https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/on-the-importance-of-regulatory-sandboxes-in-artificial-intelligence/article68176084.ece
- https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/regulatory-sandboxes-in-artificial-intelligence_8f80a0e6-en.html
- https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2024/
- https://democracy-reporting.org/en/office/global/publications/chatbot-audit#Conclusions