The Bihar Congress party’s use of artificial intelligence to create a manipulated video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his mother, Heeraben Modi, has ignited a fierce debate about the ethical boundaries of political campaigning in the digital age. The video, which surfaced in early December 2025, represents one of the most high-profile uses of deepfake technology in Indian politics to date and has drawn widespread criticism from both political opponents and technology ethics experts.
The controversial video depicts an altered conversation between the Prime Minister and his mother, using sophisticated AI tools to manipulate facial expressions and voice patterns. Political analysts suggest the intended effect was to create a narrative that would resonate emotionally with voters, particularly in the context of family values that often feature prominently in Indian political discourse. However, the execution has been widely condemned as crossing ethical lines in political communication.
Technology experts examining the video have noted the increasingly sophisticated nature of political deepfakes in India. Dr. Priya Sharma, a digital ethics researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, explains that “the technology has evolved to the point where even trained observers can struggle to identify high-quality manipulations without specialized tools. This particular instance demonstrates how AI can be used to create emotionally charged content that appears authentic to casual viewers.”
The response from the Bharatiya Janata Party has been swift and forceful, with party officials condemning what they characterize as a disrespectful manipulation of both the Prime Minister’s image and his personal relationship with his mother. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra stated that “using someone’s mother as a political prop represents a new low in political discourse” and accused opposition parties of “abusing technology to spread misinformation.”
This incident occurs against the backdrop of India’s ongoing efforts to establish comprehensive regulations governing artificial intelligence and deepfake technology. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has been developing frameworks to address the malicious use of AI, but implementation has proven challenging given the rapid pace of technological advancement. Current laws regarding digital content often struggle to keep up with emerging technologies, creating regulatory gray areas that political actors can exploit.
Historical context reveals that political propaganda has always evolved with available technology, from printed pamphlets to radio broadcasts, television advertisements, and social media campaigns. What distinguishes the current era is the ability to create convincing false realities that can be tailored to specific audiences and distributed at unprecedented scale. The Bihar Congress video represents just one example of how political entities are testing the boundaries of this new technological landscape.
The potential backlash against such tactics may extend beyond immediate political consequences. Public trust in digital media could be further eroded, making voters increasingly skeptical of all political content they encounter online. This skepticism presents challenges for legitimate political communication and could ultimately diminish voter engagement.
Ethical considerations around the use of AI in politics extend beyond mere legality. Even if such content doesn’t explicitly violate existing laws, questions remain about whether it violates norms of democratic discourse. Many experts argue that political parties should establish self-regulatory frameworks regarding AI use, though achieving consensus on such standards has proven difficult in India’s highly competitive political environment.
The international perspective offers some cautionary tales. Other democracies have grappled with similar challenges, with varying degrees of success in regulating political deepfakes. Countries like the United States have implemented patchworks of state-level regulations, while others like China have taken more comprehensive approaches. India’s solution will need to balance free speech concerns with the need to prevent deception of voters.
Looking forward, this incident likely represents just the beginning of AI’s integration into political campaigning. Parties across the spectrum are investing in AI capabilities for everything from voter targeting to content creation. The challenge for regulators, platforms, and civil society will be establishing norms and rules that prevent abuse while preserving legitimate uses of technology for political communication.
As India continues its journey as the world’s largest democracy, how it addresses these technological challenges will have implications not just for domestic politics but for democratic processes worldwide. The Bihar Congress video controversy may ultimately serve as a catalyst for much-needed conversation about the ethical boundaries of political technology in the digital age.
