As thousands of farmers embark on a march towards Delhi, encountering resistance from authorities at the Punjab-Haryana border, their supporters are rallying together on social media platforms, employing generative AI techniques to counteract online smear campaigns and advocate for their causes.
An examination conducted by India Today's Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) desk has uncovered orchestrated efforts on X (formerly Twitter), where advocates of the farmers accuse the Haryana and Central governments of employing heavy-handed police tactics and adopting an authoritarian stance.
Conversely, proponents of the government depict the protesters as advancing politically motivated agendas ahead of impending elections and call for stringent law enforcement measures.
On both ends of this spectrum, orchestrated campaigns on X (formerly Twitter) feature identical posts, with users often replicating specific messages without any alterations in wording or hashtags.
For instance, a tweet by a Delhi-based "social media activist" named Ravi Bhadoria, who is followed by prominent BJP figures, regarding the Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime was replicated verbatim by numerous users on February 14.
Similarly, numerous tweets from pro-farmer accounts, scrutinized by India Today, displayed striking similarities, emphasizing the steadfastness of the protesters, criticizing governmental actions, drawing comparisons between PM Narendra Modi and General (Reginald) Dyer, and documenting alleged excesses by the Haryana Police at the Sanghu border with Punjab.
ONLINE ENGAGEMENTS ESCALATE
Conversations surrounding the farmers' protest surged on X (formerly Twitter) starting from February 9, four days before various farmer groups officially commenced their march to Delhi, aiming to compel the Central government to address specific demands, including a legal assurance for MSP.
Since February 9, popular English hashtags such as #FarmersProtest2024, #farmerprotests2024, #KisanAndolan, #FarmerProtest2024, #FarmersProtest2, and #DilliChalo have collectively appeared in nearly 2 million X posts and replies, accumulating over 8 million engagements, according to the analysis.
Of these, #FarmersProtest2024 alone has amassed 3.9 million engagements, followed by #FarmerProtest2024 with 1.7 million and #KisanAndolan with 1.3 million engagements on X, based on data from the social media analytics firm Talkwalker.
Meanwhile, X has removed several offensive hashtags utilized by critics of the protests. Although two such hashtags, withheld due to their hateful nature, were found in numerous posts reviewed during the analysis, they led to blank pages upon searching using X's search function. Nonetheless, Talkwalker data indicates that both hashtags appeared in at least 51 tweets and replies each.
Advocates on social media platforms have leveraged the generative capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) to disseminate their message effectively, adding a novel dimension to their campaign. Even as the farmers endeavor to breach police barricades roughly 200km from Delhi, the virtual realm of AI has already transported farmers into the heart of the national capital, showcasing their protest at iconic locations such as India Gate, Red Fort, and the Parliament.
In AI-generated images shared by farm activists, demonstrators are depicted peacefully marching along unpaved roads, staging protests with their tractors amidst layers of barbed wire and barricades, distributing food to law enforcement personnel, and unfurling the Nishan Sahib – a sacred symbol of Sikhism – atop the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi.
Some videos have also been crafted by blending AI-generated images and voices.
The technological advancements have also been exploited to make derogatory references to the protesters.
