A video of Union Minister Piyush Goyal is going viral on social media platforms with a claim that it shows him announcing that India will stop all trade with Afghanistan amid the unrest in Iran.
What did the viral post say?: The clip was shared with a caption that said, "Amid rising regional instability and unrest linked to Iran, India has suddenly stopped all trade with Afghanistan, sending a strong shock across the region. Under Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal , the decision was taken over serious security risks to trade routes, supply chains, and Indian personnel. The immediate halt highlights how growing insecurity is forcing India to step back, deepening Afghanistan’s isolation under Taliban rule. (sic)."
(An archive of a similar claim could be accessed here.)
What are the facts?: The video has been manipulated using the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and does not carry real remarks made by Goyal.
How did we find that out?: Using the help of Google Lens, we conducted a reverse image search on the keyframes of the viral video and found the original clip posted on the official X handle of ANI.
It was shared on 12 January with a caption that said, "#WATCH | Rajkot, Gujarat | On his visit to Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for Saurashtra and Kutchh, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal says, "In 2003, when PM Narendra Modi started the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, no one would have imagined that this experiment would be so successful that other states would copy it. A spirit of competition will arise among states, which is essential for growth and nation-building... This conference will greatly boost the regional development. Businesses, startups and all sectors of industry in the region will greatly benefit..."."
We did not find any statements of Goyal, where he recently told the media that India will stop trade with Afghanistan.
What did detection tools show?: Team WebQoof passed the video through two AI detection tools namely — 'Hive Moderation' and 'DeepFake-O-Meter' to further verify its authenticity.
The first tool showed over 99 percent probability of the video being an AI-manipulated one.
Five detectors of the second tool gave conclusive results clearly showing that the video had "AI-generated likelihood".
(Swipe right to view all claims.)
The first tool showed over 99 percent probability of the video being an AI-manipulated one.
(Source: Hive Moderation/Screenshot)
Conclusion: It is evident that the video has been manipulated using the help of AI and does not carry real statements made by Goyal.
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