Telangana govt flags AI-driven misinformation in Kancha Gachibowli land row

Hyderabad: Describing the ongoing conflict over 400 acres of land abutting the University of Hyderabad campus as an "artificially created controversy" on social media networks, the Telangana government has expressed serious concern over the widespread distribution of fake images and videos on social media.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy chaired a high-level review meeting at the state Secretariat on Saturday to assess the legal developments regarding the government land in Survey No. 25 of Kancha Gachibowli area. The Chief minister was apprised about the latest situation by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers Seethakka and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, DGP Jitender, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) RM Dobriyal, TGIIC MD Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, and other key officials.

Officials briefed the Chief Minister that several structures including the Indian School of Business (ISB), Gachibowli Stadium, IIIT-Hyderabad, private buildings, residential apartments, and even University of Hyderabad buildings, have been constructed over the last 25 years within Survey No. 25.

The high-ranking officials pointed out no controversies erupted or protests were held by the environmentalists when these constructions came up in the Kancha Gachibowli area.

The meeting questioned the sudden outrage over the proposal to develop 400 acres of government land within the same survey number when previous projects faced no interruption. The officials claimed that fake social media content triggered a storm of controversy over the land.

They also claimed that the AI-generated photos and videos, including fabricated audio of peacocks crying and visuals of deer allegedly injured by bulldozers, were circulated widely, and it sparked public outrage.

Officials attributed the escalation of the dispute to the national level as the fake content was shared extensively by the prominent figures across social media platforms. Union Minister Kishan Reddy, former minister Jagadish Reddy, social media influencer Dhruv Rathee, and Bollywood celebrities such as John Abraham, Dia Mirza, and Raveena Tandon all posted or shared the AI-manipulated visuals, according to officials.

Initially, the fake video was posted by journalist Sumit Jha, which he later deleted and also issued a public apology, but the damage had already been done. Other netizens started amplifying the misleading content without verifying its authenticity.

During the meeting, concerns were also raised about the potential for AI-generated misinformation to escalate sensitive issues, such as border disputes. The officials called the AI-generated misinformation and disinformation a major threat to democratic systems. They also noted that the scale of such misinformation could pose a threat greater than the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister advised officials to petition the court on behalf of the state government for a formal inquiry into the creation of AI-generated fake content to mislead the public. He ordered the strengthening of the state’s cybercrime wing. He instructed officials to procure necessary advanced forensic hardware and software tools to detect and prevent such incidents in the future.