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Kremlin sounds alarm on deepfakes following fraudulent call using Putin's voice

Dmitry Peskov added that neural networks are rapidly developing and this could become a threat to the country's security

MOSCOW, March 27. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has given a comment to Channel One about impostors using a deepfake version of Russian President Vladimir Putin's voice

Channel One aired a feature about singer Ekaterina Gurova, who recorded the soundtrack to the TV series "Take her across the Maidan." She received a phone call on Putin’s behalf. Peskov confirmed to the series' creators that Putin did not know anything about the call. "After we made sure that it was not him, it became clear that this was a deepfake, nearly flawless," Peskov said.

The spokesman added that neural networks are rapidly developing and this could become a threat to the country's security. "On the one hand, it, just like everything on the Internet, just like all things high technology, can be used in the entertainment industry and so on. However, in the hands of unscrupulous people or in the hands of terrorists it can become a very formidable weapon. This requires additional measures from us. It requires systemic measures from us as a nation, it requires concentration and internal mobilization from all of us, from citizens. And we must realize that this is another big threat facing us," he concluded.

At the end of 2023, the Russian president himself received a video during a Q&A session, containing a question about the presence of his doppelgangers from his virtual copy, created by a student from St. Petersburg using artificial intelligence. In response, the head of state noted that only he himself can speak with his voice.

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