Deep fear about AI: Sunil Mittal's voice cloned to scam an exec in Dubai

At a recent summit, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of Bharti Enterprises, shed light on the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shaping the global economy and geopolitics, as per reports.

While emphasizing the technology's vast potential, Mittal cautioned against the dangers of its misuse, drawing from a personal experience that underscored these risks.

Mittal recounted a startling incident involving a fraudulent call where an AI-generated audio closely mimicked his voice. A senior finance official in Dubai received the call, which requested a significant fund transfer. Fortunately, the official recognized the deception before any transaction took place. "I was stunned by how closely the AI copy matched my real voice," Mittal admitted, highlighting the urgent need to protect digital identities from manipulation.

The telecom leader warned that as AI technology continues to advance, the risks of creating deepfakes - whether in audio or visual formats - will escalate. He stated, "We'll have to protect our societies from the evils of AI, and yet we have to use the goodness of AI."

Mittal advocated for the implementation of robust safeguards to prevent these technologies from being exploited for fraudulent purposes, particularly in high-stakes situations like financial transactions.

Despite these concerns, Mittal also recognized the transformative impact of AI on his own operations at Bharti Airtel.

Mittal emphasized that AI will play a crucial role in shaping not only global economies but also geopolitics in the coming years. He called for proactive measures from nation-states to establish regulatory frameworks that can mitigate the potential for misuse.

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