According to AI detection tools, all these audio clips are artificially generated.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has shared four audio clips on their official , Nana Patole (Congress) and IPS officer Amitabh Gupta.
The conversations were about money and cryptocurrency (Bitcoin), and they all spoke to one Gaurav Mehta, who is reportedly an employee of an accounting firm.
BJP shared these audio clips on November 19, a day before Maharashtra was to witness assembly elections, claiming that these are 'evidence of vote fraud'.
You can view an archive of the message here.
You can view an archive of the message here.
You can view an archive of the message here.
You can view an archive of the message here.
(These messages can be seen here, here, here and here.)
But what is the truth?: These audio clips are not authentic and were created using AI tools.
How did we find out the truth?: We'll examine each audio clip here:
AUDIO 1: IPS Amitabh Gupta talking to Gaurav Mehta, employee of the accounting firm
To start with, Gupta mispronounces the names 'Gaurav' and 'Lakshmi'.
We played this audio clip on the AI detection tool TrueMedia, which showed that there was substantial evidence of tampering.
AI-generated audio detector returned with 100 percent certainty, concluding that the audio is fake.
Here are the results from TrueMedia.
Here are the results from TrueMedia
Team WebQoof contacted ConTrails AI, a Bengaluru-based startup, which has developed its own AI technology for identifying fake audio and video content.
Their report found that the audio file was generated or manipulated by AI with high confidence.
Here are the results from ConTrails.
AUDIO 2: Congress leader Nana Patole talking to IPS Amitabh Gupta
In this short audio clip, Patole Gupta allegedly threatens to convert Bitcoin into cash.
When we uploaded the video to TrueMedia's AI detection tool, we concluded that this audio is also fake. There was little evidence of manipulation.
Here are the results from TrueMedia.
Here are the results from TrueMedia
However, when we uploaded the clip as an audio file, the results found little sign of tampering.
Click here to view the TrueMedia result.
We also compared Patole's voice in the audio recording to his interviews on the YouTube channel, The Lallantopshared on November 15, 2024. The voice in the audio clip did not match Patole's original voice.
Another online AI detection tool, Hive Moderation, also concluded that this audio is cloned and not real.
Here are the results of Hive Moderation.
The Misinformation Combat Alliance's (MCA) Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) also ran the clip through third-party AI audio detection tools.
AUDIO 3: Supriya Sule in conversation with Mehta
In this audio clip, Sule asks Mehta for cash in exchange for bitcoins.
We compared Sule's voice in the voice note to her interview on Samdish Bhatia's video podcast, Unfiltered By Samdish in 2023.
We noticed that her original voice does not match the voice heard in the audio clips shared by BJP.
Here are the results from TrueMedia.
Here are the results from TrueMedia.
Here are the results of Hive Moderation.
ConTrails report also noted that the audio is manipulated.
Here are the results from ConTrails.
Furthermore, Sule turned to X to clarify that this audio clip shared by BJP linking her to a conversation about Bitcoins is fake.
She has also filed a cybercrime complaint.
Well-known tactics of spreading false information are being used to manipulate righteous voters the night before election day. We have filed a criminal complaint with the Hon'ble ECI & Cybercrime Department against the false allegations of bitcoin… pic.twitter.com/g8Selv1DFk
— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) November 19, 2024
AUDIO 4: Second conversation between Gupta and Mehta
It noted that the AI model for audio spoof detection indicated the AI generation with high confidence.
Here are the results from ConTrails.
Here are the results from TrueMedia.
Here are the results from TrueMedia.
Conclusion: BJP shared AI-generated audio clips of Supriya Sule, Nana Patole and Amitabh Gupta and falsely linked them to “poll fraud”.
(This story was originally published by The Quint and republished by DailyExpertNews as part of the Shakti Collective)