Minister of information and communication technology Emma Theofelus has urged the public to verify information after AI-generated videos of senior officials circulate on social media.

She said this responding to United Democratic Front (UDF) member of parliament Nico Somaeb in parliament this week about the high rise in artificial intelligence (AI) videos circulating on social media showing the president, prime minister, deputy prime minister and other public figures, including herself, discussing investment deals.

Somaeb asked whether the minister was aware of the videos and what action the ministry is taking against this.

Theofelus said she was aware of the videos, adding that they are fake and urging the public to pay close attention to the news they consume.

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"Always ask for more information at the relevant institution, verify facts on the websites or find contact numbers online and ask for information," she said.

Theofelus said it is easy to duplicate the voices and images of senior officials who have had a lot of public speaking engagements, but those who know them would know the AI-generated content is fake.

"But sadly, many people cannot tell authentic videos from AI-generated videos," she said.

She said the ministry has marked all fake images and videos as such and has reported fake accounts on all social media platforms.

"We also issued a press statement earlier last month," Theofelus said.

The minister said her ministry is exploring multiple ways to track and arrest the scammers.

"These videos are posted online and most likely not by Namibians. It is difficult to physically arrest these scammers, but we are doing our best to make sure citizens do not fall into such traps," she said.

Theofelus said this challenge is experienced globally.

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