‘Such a beautiful bird I have never seen!’

With this exclamatory mark over his head, one WhatsApp warrior forwarded a clip of a few most colourful birds with beads of pearls, impressive eyes, and gorgeous feathers. The interesting part was when he asked me to identify the same. When I received a similar clip for the first time, I was curious to find out where exactly this bird lived. I even cursed myself for not coming across such unique birds, though I have been birding for over 4 decades. In real life, I always lament over my inability to spot the Himalayan Monal. Even the most shining and colourful Monal cannot beat these birds. Slowly, I started realizing that these are AI-generated images. Of late, the moment I received a video from a friend of mine asking for bird identification, I learned how to differentiate and promptly text the sender, it is an AI-generated image. In the last two decades, moviemakers have used AI techniques to create mind-boggling films. The turn of the 21^st century has opened up the potential of electronics and opened Pandora’s box of opportunities in the IT industry. In that sense, it is not out of place to mention that those born between the 1950s and 1980s were the luckiest people to have the last chance to glimpse a world full of natural abundance. The turn of the present century witnessed natural disasters, man-made destructions, and unimaginable industrial developments. Nature is being molested and natural resources are vanishing. The day is not far off for fixing the last nail in the coffin of fossil fuel. On one side, this is happening, while on the other hand, we are inching towards an artificial lifestyle. AI appears to be destructive rather than constructive.  One of the identified AI images is physical malformation. For instance, if a snake is depicted with an unproportionate head or a horn in the head, one can easily distinguish between a natural and an artificial one. A logical understanding may help differentiate between an AI image and a natural one.  Recently, a video clip with a buffalo was shown to house a bird nest between its two horns with a juvenile living inside. Is it possible? Won’t the animal lie down, move its head, dash against another animal, or sleep? Nesting is an avian instinct to safeguard juveniles. So, this is a clear case of logical inconsistency. Sometimes, AI algorithms meticulously work frame by frame, to make the clips appear genuine. There is one dangerous development, known as Deepfakes. Such AI clips may become the most harmful tools for concocting stories that will appear original and real. One day, a Prime Minister may appear on the TV screen and say that an emergency has been clamped. Or a tiger may enter your residential area and might even kill a child. Or there may be a devastating fire in the school where your child is studying. Or a tsunami has set in the Bay of Bengal and would engulf Bangalore in another 3 hours, creating panic. Sad indeed! AI tools may be used to predict rains, track unknown species, or a potential forest fire, but not to flood social media with absurd images just to gain viewership.  Necessary legal validation protocols must be in place to prevent the onslaught of AI in social media.