Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s post sparked criticism on social media, with people claiming that the video was produced using artificial intelligence.
A post written by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma praising Assam’s road and highway infrastructure recently sparked controversy, after social media users claimed that the clip he shared was generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
The 26-second video was posted on Sarma’s X account on Tuesday, and showed aerial footage of traffic moving smoothly on a busy highway in Assam. The BJP leader compared the view to the F1 track.
The video in question:
Claims video generated by artificial intelligence
Sarma’s post came under criticism as social media users claimed that it was created using artificial intelligence and pointed out that the traffic on the road was not in compliance with India’s driving rules. Many users also posted photos of damaged and potholed roads, and one user posted a newspaper report titled, “Assam ranks third among Indian states with most damaged highways.”
Congress spokesperson Ritam Singh claimed that the video showed driving in the wrong side, “BJP’s IT cell while creating AI-powered fake videos should remember that the penalty for driving in the wrong direction on the national highway is $5000.”
Singh also highlighted the condition of roads in Assam as he criticized the Prime Minister over the “AI generated” video.
Responding to the criticism, Sarma shared the video again with the caption, “Artificial Intelligence (red X) Assam Infrastructure (green tick)”.
Sarma’s Cabinet colleagues also backed him when they responded to critics, particularly in Congress with Water Resources Minister Bijosh Hazarika commenting that people with a “negative IQ like Rahul (Gandhi) and Gaurav Gogoi would clearly struggle to comprehend the pace at which Assam’s infrastructure is transforming. That’s why they started calling such visuals ‘AI-generated’.”
He also posted a video of a busy street through which Sarma’s BJP’s Jana Ashirwad Yatra had recently passed, claiming that it was the same route that the Prime Minister had posted about earlier.
But here’s a simple question: Will they now call this video AI too? Hazarika, for the record, said this passage from the same route, on the same day, during the Jana Ashirwad Yatra.
Culture Minister Bimal Bora also posted a video titled “Silapathar to Jonai- National Highway at Night”. For Chamcha, even this is artificial intelligence.
