Katrina Kaif targeted by deepfake again as manipulated video surfaces; fans say 'AI at its best'

Katrina Kaif, known for her on-screen performances, recently once again became the subject of a deepfake video that surfaced online. The video purportedly showed her fluently speaking French at the launch of Bina Kak’s book 'Silent Sentinels of Ranthambore' in Mumbai. The clip has sparked a debate about the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in media.

Katrina Kaif's AI-Generated Speech In French

At the event in question, Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan were present alongside veteran screenwriter Salim Khan. However, the viral video in question was not a genuine recording but rather an AI-generated creation.

The caption accompanying the video, shared on a fan page, clarifies that while the French voiceover was AI-generated, the speech itself remained unchanged from her original words at the event.

Varied Fan Reactions

Reactions from fans varied widely. Some were quick to point out the technological marvel behind deepfakes, with comments like "AI at its best" and "I almost fell for this edited video."

Others, however, expressed concern about the increasing sophistication of deepfake technology, with one fan noting, "It's AI and very scary what technology can do."

Interestingly, there were those who believed the video to be real, praising Katrina Kaif's supposed linguistic prowess. Comments like "She's so supremely talented unlike any other actresses!" highlighted the admiration some fans have for her.

Katrina Kaif's Past Deepfake Controversies

In January this year, a video of Katrina Kaif speaking in fluent Turkish was circulating on social media for a few days. The deepfake video, made with the help of AI, had Katrina speaking and Hrithik Roshan was also seen nodding in agreement next to her during the same interview. It was actually an old interview from the time Katrina was promoting the 2014 film 'Bang Bang' with her co-star Hrithik Roshan.


Apart from these incidents, last year in November, a digitally altered image of Katrina from her film 'Tiger 3' surfaced online. The original picture shows the Bollywood star fighting a Hollywood stuntwoman clad in a towel. However, in the viral edited version, Katrina could be seen wearing a low-cut white top and a matching bottom instead of the towel. The image was edited utilising AI techniques, which can manipulate and replace people's faces in videos and photos.

Katrina Kaif's Recent Work

Turning to her professional endeavors, Katrina Kaif's last film venture was the critically acclaimed 'Merry Christmas' (2024), where she starred opposite Vijay Sethupathi. Directed by Sriram Raghavan and based on Frédéric Dard’s French novel Le Monte-charge (Bird in a Cage), the film garnered positive reviews for its noir narrative and the performances of its cast.

Released in January 2024, 'Merry Christmas' tells the captivating story of how a seemingly ordinary Christmas Eve transforms the lives of two strangers in unexpected ways.

The incident with the deepfake video shows not only the power of AI in digital content creation but also the challenges it poses in discerning genuine from manipulated media.