AI manipulates Dhoni video to fake betting endorsement

A viral video circulating on social media has claimed that Indian cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni is endorsing an illegal betting platform, Unicon365. The clip appears to show Dhoni in an interview discussing his relationship with money and allegedly mentioning that he earned money from the controversial website during his early career struggles.

In the video, the host asks Dhoni about his views on money, to which he reportedly responds, “Money is an important part of life. During my struggling days, I used to earn Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 every month through a gaming website called unicon365.com. It was enough to cover my expenses at the time.” This claim led many to believe Dhoni was promoting the betting site. However, a thorough investigation has uncovered that the video was manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) to fabricate the cricketer’s words.

Upon further inspection, a reverse image search traced the footage back to an original video published on YouTube by the creator management firm RIGI on October 27, 2023. This video was a 28-minute panel discussion with Dhoni, hosted by comedian Tanmay Bhat and content creator Sharan Hegde. The viral video was pieced together from two separate parts of the interview.

While Dhoni did discuss the role of money in his life and said, “Money is an important part of life,” this was taken from a legitimate part of the interview. However, the segment where Dhoni allegedly mentioned earning from Unicon365.com was never part of the original footage and was inserted artificially using AI-generated audio.

AI analysis tools confirmed that the added audio was not recorded by Dhoni, but was instead fabricated to resemble his voice. A deepfake detection tool from TrueMedia conclusively identified the manipulation, with 100% certainty that AI-generated audio was used.

Further analysis from the Misinformation Combat Alliance’s Deepfakes Analysis Unit, which includes experts from Hive and Hiya AI Voice Detection, also concluded that the audio was altered using AI technology.

Unicon365 is an illegal betting platform that operates in India, violating the country's gambling laws. India’s Public Gambling Act of 1867 prohibits most forms of gambling, including betting on live sports, which is classified as a game of chance.

Although certain skill-based games are legal under Indian law, the government has cracked down on illegal betting platforms, banning several such sites in 2023