Artificial Intelligence (AI), celebrated as a revolutionary force in governance and business, is now revealing a perilous edge in Odisha's cyberspace. The very technology streamlining services is being weaponized for sophisticated cyberattacks and political manipulation, pushing law enforcement into a relentless race to adapt.
Deepfakes and Deception: AI Disrupts Election Campaign
The recent Nuapada bypoll campaign became a testing ground for AI's malicious potential. Major political parties—the BJD, BJP, and Congress—found themselves in a fierce battle not just on the ground, but in the digital realm. They lodged formal complaints with the Election Commission, demanding urgent action against a flood of AI-generated videos and images circulating on social media.
This was no ordinary mudslinging. AI-generated deepfakes convincingly cloned voices, facial expressions, and mannerisms of individuals, creating fabricated content so realistic that the public struggled to separate fact from fiction. This new form of digital smear campaign marks a dangerous escalation in political strategy, undermining the integrity of electoral discourse.
A 1917% Cybercrime Surge and the Sophisticated Threat
The electoral misuse is just one facet of a much larger crisis. Odisha has witnessed an astronomical 1917% increase in registered cybercrime cases over the past decade. The numbers jumped from a mere 124 cases in 2014 to 2,501 cases in 2024, painting a stark picture of the digital onslaught.
Cybersecurity expert Binayak Sahoo explains the core of the problem. "Automated hacking tools, deepfake technology, and AI-driven phishing campaigns are making cyberattacks more sophisticated and harder to detect," he stated. Criminals are leveraging AI to automate and refine their attacks, leaving traditional defense mechanisms struggling to keep pace.
Law enforcement faces a triple challenge: investigating crimes where digital evidence is scattered across international servers, a severe shortage of technical skills within the force, and outdated technological infrastructure. "Police forces struggle with limited resources, lack of skills and outdated technology, making it difficult to keep pace with AI-driven crimes," acknowledged another expert.
Police Response and the Call for Collaboration
Confronted with this evolving threat, the Odisha Police are initiating a tech-upgrade mission. Director General of Police Y B Khurania admitted, "AI is indeed a challenge to the cyber space. We have started equipping our personnel with technical know-how to investigate such threats." A key part of this strategy involves hiring IT experts directly into cyber police stations to assist investigators in untangling complex digital crimes.
Officials and experts unanimously stress that a siloed approach is futile. The solution lies in collaboration between police agencies, technology companies, and cybersecurity professionals. Creating a shared framework to understand, track, and neutralize AI-powered threats is now an urgent public safety imperative. As AI continues to evolve, so too must the defenses designed to protect the public from its misuse.
