Fact Check: FM Sitharaman endorses Quantum AI? No, video is AI-manipulated

Hyderabad: A video showing Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman endorsing a supposed mobile application called Quantum AI, calling it a government project, is going viral on social media.

In the video, Lok Sabha member Priyanka Gandhi Vadra can be seen questioning Nirmala Sitharaman during a Parliament session regarding a ‘mobile application that can earn 5 Lakh rupees per month, for every user’. In response, the Finance Minister states that it is a government project that requires thorough testing. She is also seen saying, “I will record an official video presentation so that our citizens can earn up to Rs 5 lakh.”

The next video clip shows the Finance Minister endorsing ‘Quantum AI’, hailing it as cutting-edge Indian technology. She is seen urging people to invest 21,000 in the platform the same day, exhorting citizens that spots may run out.

The minister can be seen saying, “Everyone, absolutely everyone who invests Rs 21,000 today will earn between Rs 40,000 and Rs 60,000 in 24 hours. This project was created for the people and is licensed by the Ministry of Finance for tax-free trading.”

This video was shared as an advertisement on Facebook with a link attached to it. (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The viral video is manipulated using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Using keyword searches, we did not find any news reports or credible social media posts stating that the Union Ministry of Finance announced a project by the name ‘Quantum AI’. We did not find any information regarding this on the official website of the Ministry of Finance.

The viral video contains three video clips, two showing Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and one showing the Congress Lok Sabha member Priyanka Gandhi.

Reverse image searches of keyframes led us to the extended versions of the three video clips used in the viral advertisement.

Clip 1

The first video clip shows Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi talking in Parliament while other Congress MPs Hibi Eden, Dean Kuriakose and S Jothimani can also be seen in the frame.

A video showing the same visuals was uploaded to YouTube by Excelsior News on July 29. The video shows the same Congress MP seated behind Priyanka Gandhi wearing the same outfit as in the viral video.

The description stated that the video shows Priyanka Gandhi speaking in the Parliament during a debate on Operation Sindoor. This led us to a live stream of the July 29 Parliament session uploaded by DD News.

Priyanka Gandhi’s speech starts at the 3:22:46-hour mark and ends at the 3:50:53-hour mark. During her speech, the Congress MP did not mention Quantum AI, nor did she question the Finance Minister about any ‘mobile application that can earn 5 Lakh rupees per month, for every user’.

Clip 2

The second clip shows Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a red and white saree, talking in the Parliament. We found the same visuals in a video live-streamed by ANI News on December 17, 2024.

The video shows the Parliament Session that took place on the same day. The Finance Minister starts talking at the 4-hour mark in the video and concludes it at the 5:14:13-hour mark. In this video, Nirmala Sitharaman did not address any questions regarding Quantum AI.

Clip 3

The final video clip shows the Finance Minister in a grey checkered saree, speaking at a blue podium bearing the upper half of the State emblem, with vertical stripes behind her.

A video showing these exact same visuals was uploaded on YouTube by The Hindu on March 1. The description states that the video shows Nirmala Sitharaman presiding over the 49th Civil Accounts Day.

The Ministry of Finance live-streamed the 49th Civil Accounts Day celebrations at New Delhi on March 1. During the 3-hour 21-minute long live stream, Nirmala Sitharaman is seen giving the inaugural address for half an hour, from the 58:57-minute mark to the 1:27:29-hour mark.

During this meeting, the Finance Minister did not make any remarks regarding Quantum AI.

What about audio in the viral video?

Using Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector, we tested two audio samples from the viral video.

When we tested Priyanka Gandhi’s audio sample, Hiya determined that the audio is likely to be a deepfake with an authenticity score of 13 out of 100.

Hiya has also determined the Finance Minister’s audio clip to be a deepfake with an authenticity score of 3 out of 100.

What about the linked website?

At several places in the viral video, the Finance Minister refers to a link attached to the Facebook advertisement, calling upon people to invest in the Quantum AI trading platform. The link reads ‘future-india’. However, the link leads to a page populated with content similar to that of the ‘Swayam’ website.

Swayam (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) is an open online course platform developed by the government of India. However, none of the options on the website work.

The website does not contain any information regarding Quantum AI. (Archive)

Screenshots of the website are provided below.

Did the Finance Minister endorse Quantum AI?

In the past, several videos showing Nirmala Sitharaman talking about trading platforms have gone viral on social media. However, NewsMeter found that they are AI generated videos. You can read the reports here, here and here.

On September 9, Press Information Bureau (PIB) has also posted on X in regards to the Quantum AI advertisement stating, “The Finance Minister has NOT endorsed any such investment platform/ product.”

The viral video was made using deepfake technology to mimic the voice of the Finance Minister. Different video clips of the Finance Minister and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi were digitally altered to create the viral video.

Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false. The Finance Minister did not endorse any app called Quantum AI, and the viral video is manipulated using AI.