Shashi Tharoor flags AI videos; urges viewers to verify them before ‘attacking me for views that I have not expressed’

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor flagged AI-generated deepfake videos of him circulating on social media and urged the viewers to verify them using “one simple rule of thumb” before commenting.

This comes after digitally manipulated clips portraying him praising Pakistan for “good diplomacy” and “completely pinning down” the Indian cricket board were making rounds on social media.

On February 1, Pakistan had announced that it would not take the field against India in their scheduled Group A fixture on 15 February 2026 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Fact-checkers like AltNews and India Today have also confirmed that the viral videos of Tharoor were fabricated. The audio, lip sync, and framing from actual interviews were reportedly altered.

“There are an alarming number of deepfake videos circulating of me, with convincing-sounding AI generated voice-overs over genuine footage of old interviews, having “me” saying things I have never said,” he wrote.

“Disappointed that so many on social media are believing these lies and issuing baseless comments attacking me for purported views that I have not expressed.”

He said, “If a statement (video or otherwise) doesn’t appear on my timeline nor on that of the purported interviewer/media source, it’s fake news.”

After a video falsely showed him praising the Pakistan cricket team, Tharoor on March 31 warned of the growing threat from AI-generated misinformation, and urged users not to believe in any statement that surfaces with his name, until he tweets about it.

“I say enough already! But this habit of putting words in my mouth is now out of control — several AI-generated deepfakes claiming to be videos of me are doing the rounds,” he wrote in the older post. “The voice sounds familiar but the words are not mine, the lip-syncing doesn’t work and the sources are usually Pakistani disinformation sites.”

“If I haven’t tweeted it, don’t believe it!” Tharoor said.

Fact-checkers shared that in the original footage, Shashi Tharoor was speaking about keeping politics separate from sports.

The actual clip was from his comment to the media on February 10, where Tharoor emphasised that cricket and other sports should remain free from political interference. He had also said that players and diplomats should focus on their respective roles.

“Indian cricket board was completely pinned. Hands down. This serves as a lesson that good diplomacy can make a weak nation appear as a Goliath. Pakistan has done it. I would want to appreciate them for it. It’s unthinkable,” Tharoor said in the deepfake video.