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[Saba Sports News] The misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly through Deepfake technology, has raised concerns alongside its benefits. Indian cricket star Virat Kohli has become a recent target of this technology, with his likeness and voice being used without his consent in a betting app advertisement. This ad, falsely promising high investment returns and featuring Kohli, has been spreading widely across social media platforms.
To lend the advertisement authenticity, scammers included footage of a well-known TV journalist, falsely presenting the ad as part of a live news broadcast. The deceptive ad claims that Kohli earned INR 81,000 from an INR 1,000 investment in just three days, using a manipulated clip from Kohli’s interview with Graham Bensinger, dubbing over his voice to endorse the message fraudulently.
On a different note, Kohli has stepped away from the current five-match Test series against England for personal reasons, having briefly joined the Indian team in Hyderabad before departing on the same day. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has respected Kohli’s privacy, allowing him time off from the entire series.
Amidst this, AB de Villiers, a close friend to Kohli, mistakenly shared news on his YouTube channel about Kohli and his wife, Anushka Sharma, expecting their second child, a statement he later retracted and apologized for.
In Kohli’s absence, India has made a remarkable comeback in the series, turning a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 lead with victories in Visakhapatnam and Rajkot. The fourth Test is set to commence on February 23 at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi, as India looks to extend their lead against England.