In a long post on her official Facebook page on Thursday morning, popular actress Mehazabien Chowdhury said that creating and spreading false and fabricated content using AI to humiliate someone is not entertainment, but a crime. She also expressed concern over the tendency of knowingly sharing such content alongside creating it, thereby reaching more people.
On October 13, an offensive video featuring Mehazabien and actress Pori Moni was circulated on the Instagram account of a private television channel. Later, the channel authority stated that their account had been hacked and fake photos and videos produced through the misuse of AI technology were published. Those were removed after the account was recovered.
An investigation by the fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner also described the videos as fake. In a report published yesterday Wednesday, the organization stated that the discussed videos were created by using face-swapping technology on other videos. Expressing regret over the incident, the Maasranga authority announced plans to take legal action.
In Thursday's post, Mehazabien said that when hundreds or thousands of people keep sharing the same content, the matter is no longer limited to the crime of just one individual; rather, the picture of a larger social problem comes to the fore.
The actress also questioned the prevailing tendency of drawing examples of mothers and sisters to explain the matter of respecting others. She wrote, "At this point, I no longer feel like saying that old phrase—just imagine if this happened to your mother or sister!"
Immediately after, she questioned, "Because, to respect someone as a human being, why do they have to be a member of our family?"
Mehazabien highlighted the competition to increase views, likes, and shares on social media as one of the concerning areas for the spread of such content. In her view, humiliating others in the hope of staying in trends or earning a few dollars is unacceptable. Although she acknowledged the reality that many people's livelihoods are connected to content creation, she believes no one has the right to insult anyone under that excuse.
According to Mehazabien, such propaganda is no longer limited between men and women. In the competition for views and engagement, anyone can become a part of spreading harmful content, and anyone can become its victim.
The actress expressed concern particularly over the role of those who, without creating fake content themselves, share it, comment on it, or enable others to see it. She mentioned that due to their participation, content created with the intention of humiliating someone spreads on a much wider scale.
Even before this, Mehazabien had expressed concern over the misuse of AI technology. She had spoken about the necessity of strict laws, public awareness, and accountability regarding incidents of distorting and broadcasting the photos and videos of stars. This time, the actress has emphasized personal sense of responsibility alongside legal action.
Toward the end of the post, addressing social media users, Mehazabien wrote, "You can think about whether you want to display your lack of conscience by participating in a criminal's crime."
