Actor Mehazabien Chowdhury has criticised the creation and circulation of fabricated content using artificial intelligence (AI), questioning why humiliating another person has become a means of earning money online.
The popular actress has also challenged social media users who share such material, arguing that their actions turn an individual offence into a wider social problem.
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“Creating false and fabricated content in someone’s name using AI and spreading it with the intention of humiliating them is not entertainment. It is a crime,” Mehazabien wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday morning.
Her comments follow the circulation of objectionable, AI-generated videos involving her and actress Pori Moni through the Instagram account of Maasranga Television on October 13.
The channel later said its account had been hacked and that fake images and videos created through the misuse of AI had been published. The content was subsequently removed after the account was recovered. Rumor Scanner also found the circulating videos to be fabricated, reporting that the actresses’ faces had been superimposed on other footage using face-swapping technology.
In her post, Mehazabien argued that the problem extends beyond those who create such material. When hundreds or thousands of people knowingly share the same content, she wrote, the issue becomes a reflection of a larger social failure.
“When the same content is shared by hundreds or thousands of people, the matter is no longer limited to the crime of one individual. It reflects a much larger social problem. It makes us wonder where we, as a society, have arrived.”
She also questioned the familiar appeal to imagine such abuse happening to a family member as a way of encouraging empathy.
“At this point, I no longer even feel like repeating that old line: just imagine if this happened to your mother or sister! “Because why should someone have to be a member of our family for us to respect them as a human being?”
Mehazabien acknowledged that making online content has become a livelihood for many people, and that financial struggles are real. But she questioned the cost at which some users seek attention and revenue.
“A few views, a few likes, a few shares, staying on the trending list, perhaps earning a few dollars from it. I understand that people struggle in life. For many, creating content has now become a way to earn a living. I do not want to deny that reality. But the question is, since when did humiliating and disrespecting another person become a source of income for us?”