Viral lies: AI deepfakes hijack reality in Nepal’s election run-up

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Bibek BhandariJanuary 24, 2026 at 09:00 AM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

In Nepal, AI-generated deepfakes are spreading misinformation ahead of a snap election on March 5th. These fabricated videos, audio clips, images, and songs are flooding social media platforms, confusing public discourse. One example includes a video depicting political figures seemingly forming an alliance that never occurred. This surge of AI-generated content follows a period of political upheaval and eroded public trust in institutions after a youth-led anti-corruption movement ousted the former prime minister. Analysts and digital rights advocates are concerned about the impact of this misinformation on the upcoming election.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Nepali Congress 50% Rastriya Swatantra Party 60% Sher Bahadur Deuba 60% K.P. Sharma Oli ×270% Balendra Shah 70% Kulman Ghising 70% Rabi Lamichhane 80% Nepal ×4100%

Keywords

ai deepfakes 100% nepal election 90% artificial intelligence 80% misinformation 70% social media 60% public discourse 50% political alliance 50% rabi lamichhane 40% political figures 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.60

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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