'Threat to Democracy', Says BJP After Open AI's Sensational Claim on Indian Elections

New Delhi: Moments after OpenAI released a report claiming that a commercial company in Israel h in May 2024 generated content targetting ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) amid ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India, Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday said, “It is absolutely clear and obvious that BJP was and is target of influence operations, misinformation and foreign interference, being done by and/or on behalf of some Indian political parties”. 

Terming it a “very dangerous threat to democracy”, minister furr said it is clear that vested interests in India and outside are clearly driving this. He also emphasized on need for this foreign interference “to be deeply scrutinised/investigated and exposed”. 

“My view at this point is that se platforms could have released this much earlier, and not so late when elections are ending”, Chandrasekhar wrote in a post on social media platform ‘X’.

report released by US-based artificial intelligence research organisation titled 'AI and Covert Influence Operations: Latest Trends' stated that a commercial company in Israel called STOIC h generated content about Gaza conflict, and to a lesser extent Histrut tre unions organization in Israel and Indian elections.

“In May, we disrupted some activity focussed on Indian elections less than 24 hours after network began generating comments that focused on India, criticised ruling BJP party and praised opposition Congress party”, report claimed.

“We have been raising this even before elections began and we raised it even during course of polls”, BJP leer said while speaking exclusively with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, just moments after report emerged.

“We met with Election Commission officials and cautioned m regarding evidence of interference in our elections by political parties in India with misinformation and with deepfake videos”, minister told Arnab as he stressed that re is evidence of interference from outside as well.

“re are three clear pieces of evidence - Firstly, Deepfake videos created within country and propagated by Congress handles. n re is Facebook that revealed data on overseas accounts running campaigns against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP. Now, Open AI too has exposed same”, he asserted.

minister's remarks come just a day before India is due to vote in seventh and last phase of polling for biggest poll battle of year – Lok Sabha Elections 2024 that are currently underway in country to elect new Parliamentary representatives and subsequently government at Centre.

Underlining that re has been a clear pattern of targeting BJP and PM Modi with se overseas Western interest-driven operations, Chandrasekhar told Arnab: “ people of India have realised how Congress has repeatedly used language of overseas terrorist agencies that are abetting interests against India”.

“We have nicknamed this operation “Zero Zeno” for founder of stoic school of philosophy, and to reflect low levels of engagement that its various campaigns attracted”, OpenAI report stated, ding that it began targetting audiences in India with English-language content in early May.