The mayor of Pazardzhik Petar Kulenski announced that he had filed a report with the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor's Office due to the distribution of a video clip on social networks. According to the mayor, the footage is not real and has been manipulated with artificial intelligence, reports "Focus".
"The video was made to appear that an employee of the Pazardzhik Municipality is handing me an envelope in order to make suggestions about possible corrupt practices. The video is fake. "Crude, targeted and dangerous manipulation," Kulenski said.
He also specified that the clip was posted in a Facebook group for the city by an anonymous profile posing as "Uncle Charlie". "I will also request all available recordings from the security cameras of the restaurant in question, in order to show clearly and indisputably what really happened," the mayor added.
He emphasized that he had endured many lies, insults and insinuations directed at himself. "My family and I have heard so much about ourselves - in the municipal council, on social networks, in the political arena. But when someone starts falsifying reality, adding non-existent actions to videos and producing "fake evidence" with the help of artificial intelligence, this is an extremely dangerous practice that cannot be tolerated and happen with impunity", said Kulneski.
According to him, artificial intelligence can be used not only for development, but also as a weapon to discredit. A face, voice, movement, object or an entire situation can be replaced.
In conclusion, the mayor of Pazardzhik Petar Kulenski stated the following:
If we accept such methods as normal, tomorrow every person, their loved ones, their children, can be placed in a non-existent situation, accused of something they did not do, and publicly condemned on the basis of a fake produced with artificial intelligence.
Therefore, I call on everyone to be vigilant – to check the source, not to accept anonymous posts as evidence and not to unwittingly participate in the spread of manipulations.
Criticism is part of public work and I have never shied away from it. But faking videos, creating non-existent compromising material and spreading it through anonymous profiles is not criticism. This is a targeted smear campaign.
I will not leave it without consequences.