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Viral lies: AI deepfakes hijack reality in Nepal’s election run-up
From fake fist-fights to made-up arrests, AI-generated clips are confusing voters in a nation where just 31 per cent are digitally literate
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A video showing three of Nepal’s most recognisable political figures walking side by side set social media abuzz late last year, stirring widespread speculation that a new political alliance was taking shape ahead of a looming national election.
But there was a catch: the meeting depicted never took place.
The clip, depicting Rastriya Swatantra Party leader Rabi Lamichhane, Kathmandu’s former mayor Balendra Shah and ex-power sector chief Kulman Ghising, was a fabrication – one of a growing number of videos generated using artificial intelligence that are now flooding Nepal’s online political space in the run-up to a snap poll on March 5.
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The election comes just six months after a bloody, youth-led anti-corruption uprising ousted former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli, leaving the country’s political establishment reeling and public trust in institutions badly shaken.
In recent months, a torrent of AI-generated videos, audio clips, images and even songs has swept across Nepal’s social media platforms, much of it misleading and some entirely false.
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Analysts and digital rights advocates warn that the deluge is muddying public discourse just weeks before the vote.
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