Suspicions Arise Over Putin’s Appearance in New Year’s Speech: Allegations of AI Manipulation
On December 31, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a New Year’s address to the nation. However, this speech garnered attention not for its content but for the appearance of Putin in the video. Many viewers expressed a sense of unease about his appearance, leading to widespread speculation online that some form of digital technology might have been used.
The tradition of a New Year’s address by the Russian President, a practice dating back to Soviet times under Leonid Brezhnev, focuses on addressing the nation across Russia’s eleven time zones. In his speech, Putin claimed, “We can solve the most difficult problems,” and asserted, “No force can divide us.” Yet, it was his appearance, not his words, that sparked immediate online discussion.
Mikhail Golab, a prominent social media user with 30,000 followers, suggested that the speech was “clearly generated by AI.” He pointed out peculiarities in the connection between Putin’s head and neck, highlighting these areas with blue lines in a video of the speech.
User Reactions:
- Mono-voiced Gentiana: “Putin has always used tricks to appear taller. Given the frequent assassinations of Russian officials, it’s likely this was done to obscure his location. It reminds me of a scene from ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ where a dead Zhuge Liang fools Sima Yi with a wooden statue. Perhaps Putin is in a similar situation.”
- hig*******: “There have been reports of Putin’s ill health, but the war continues. Even if Putin dies, the war won’t stop, so there’s no point in hoping for his ill health.”
- kuk*******: “Russia is incredible for using synthetic videos to maintain power. Who’s really behind this? It’s like a movie, hard to believe it’s real. And what do the Russian people think? Why does no one stand up?”
- tad*******: “Did Putin make this speech from a safe house or home, and in what attire? This raises many unrelated questions, like the time someone was caught wearing shorts in an online meeting.”
- tak*******: “Clearly AI-generated. DeepFake videos have this issue where the face looks real, but the surrounding material distorts oddly. In this case, it was the collar.”
- gmf*******: “This image might not be Putin, but it looks edited. There’s an obvious disconnect between the head and neck.”
- mts****: “To avoid AI confusion, it’s effective to intentionally include an unusual element. AI struggles with the unexpected. Whether this applies to Putin, I can’t say.”
- deg*******: “The collar line appears and disappears. It’s a clear manipulation. If it were a real image, it would be laughable, but it’s probably synthetic.”
- whatahell********: “There’s no need for synthesis. This is just SNS content spreading. Putin has previously expressed shock at being depicted as an AI-generated fake on social media.”
- kome: “The nation is exhausted from a long war. When you think about where the weapons come from, it seems certain organizations or countries profiting from the war don’t want it to end. If this image of Putin is fake, it suggests the war will continue regardless of his life or death.”
In summary, the digital alteration suspicions around Putin’s appearance in his New Year’s address have stirred a mix of skepticism, conspiracy theories, and discussions about the ongoing war and its implications, reflecting a deep-seated distrust and curiosity among the public. Source: Yahoo.