How Sultan HB X Became a Victim of AI Manipulation
The Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) government has confirmed that a video circulating on WhatsApp depicting Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X is an artificial intelligence (AI) hoax. The video falsely shows the Sultan instructing that payment for an item be made before the goods are dispatched.
The DIY Government’s public relations account, @humasjogja, uploaded the manipulated video with a hoax label, urging the public not to believe or disseminate it if encountered elsewhere. The footage shows Sultan HB X seemingly speaking to the camera about a matter involving antique coins, but the statement has been censored. Officials stressed that the recording is not official documentation and is a product of AI manipulation.
‘If you find this video on social media, please do not believe or spread it. Do not easily trust posts claiming to be from the Governor of DIY, especially those concerning personal matters,’ the administration stated.
The government also called on the public to be wiser in using social media, particularly by verifying all circulating information. ‘Technology can provide many benefits, but it can also be misused to spread misleading information. Therefore, do not immediately believe every piece of information that circulates—verify its truth first,’ the statement read.
Ditya Nanaryo Aji, Coordinator of the Public Relations Subdivision at the DIY Secretariat, revealed that the administration became aware of the video after being contacted by the Sultan’s second daughter, GKR Condrokirono. ‘We do not know when the video started circulating, but Gusti Condrokirono contacted us yesterday around 5 p.m. A colleague of hers had shared it via WhatsApp,’ Ditya said at the Kepatihan Complex in Yogyakarta.
He explained that his team was asked to check whether the video had been produced by the public relations department and to determine if AI was involved. ‘After we checked the video, it was clear that Ngarsa Dalem never gave such an interview or made such a statement, and we confirmed it was made using AI,’ he added.
Ditya described the video’s content as a scam, in which the Sultan appeared to promote payment for goods before delivery and mentioned a specific merchant. ‘That is clearly impossible for him to say,’ he noted. The administration censored the name of the public figure mentioned in the fake video to prevent further controversy.
It is suspected that the colleague who shared the video with GKR Condrokirono was a potential victim attempting to verify its authenticity. ‘As far as I know, the potential victim wanted to confirm with Gusti Kirono whether the video was real. It was clearly using the Sultan’s name,’ Ditya said.
GKR Condrokirono subsequently asked the public relations team to issue a clarification and educational content to prevent the public from blindly believing information circulating on social media that claims to represent the DIY Government or Sultan HB X. Ditya emphasised that the Sultan would never make statements concerning the private affairs of other individuals.
He confirmed this is the first such incident and that no legal action or police report has been filed. ‘For now, our focus is on educating the public about the use and misuse of AI for hoaxes. We have not yet moved in that direction,’ he concluded.