The 2024 Indian General Election — the largest democratic exercise in human history, involving approximately 970 million eligible voters across seven phases — unfolded at a historic crossroads between advancing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and escalating information disorder. This paper critically examines the dual threat posed to democratic discourse in India: first, the proliferation of AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media used to manipulate public opinion; and second, the Indian government's response through increasingly restrictive amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules. Drawing on primary reports from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2024, interviews with experts from WITNESS and the Internet Freedom Foundation, and secondary literature on disinformation and media law, this study argues that while AI deepfakes represent a genuine and growing danger, the legislative countermeasures introduced risk suppressing press freedom, chilling journalistic expression, and concentrating information control in the hands of the state. The paper concludes with recommendations for a rights-protective regulatory framework that balances security with democratic accountability.
Vivek Kumar Saxena (Fri,) studied this question.