Zelenskyy deepfake video goes viral, reflecting troubling new wave of disinformation

In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office and posted on Facebook early March 18, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks from Kyiv, Ukraine. — Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP

DUBAI: A deepfake video that claims to feature footage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is circulating online. In it, a figure identified as him is seen calling on citizens of his country to surrender to Russian forces.

A deepfake video uses artificial intelligence technology to create new, fake footage from existing images and videos. The results can appear quite convincing, although the "Zelenskyy" video appeared obviously fake, as many social media users pointed out.