'Stunned by accuracy': Airtel's Sunil Mittal says AI cloned his voice, tried to con senior executive

While cautioning against its risks, Sunil Mittal also acknowledged AI’s transformative impact.

At the NDTV World Summit, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of Bharti Enterprises, addressed the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the global economy and geopolitics, while also cautioning about its potential for misuse. Mittal, who leads India’s second-largest telecom company Bharti Airtel, recounted a personal experience where his voice was replicated by AI in a fraudulent call.

Mittal explained that a senior finance official in Dubai received a call that used AI-generated audio mimicking his voice, requesting a substantial fund transfer. Fortunately, the official recognised the deception in time and avoided the transaction. After listening to the recording, Mittal admitted he was "stunned" by how closely the AI copy matched his real voice. This incident, he said, highlighted the potential dangers of AI in manipulating digital identities. "We'll have to protect our societies from the evils of AI, and yet we have to use the goodness of AI," Mittal remarked.

Mittal stressed that AI could be misusedto create deepfakes, not only in audio but also in digital signatures and visual impersonations during video calls. As AI advances, he warned, it will be essential to implement safeguards to prevent such technologies from being exploited for fraudulent purposes.

While cautioning against its risks, Mittal also acknowledged AI’s transformative impact. He highlighted how AI is revolutionising operations at Bharti Airtel, automating routine tasks like customer onboarding and workforce management, which has increased efficiency but also reduced the need for certain traditional roles. Reflecting on these changes, he recalled the manual processes that were still in place just a decade ago, such as filling out physical forms to onboard mobile phone customers—a practice now replaced by digital processes driven by AI.

Mittal further emphasised that AI will be a significant factor in shaping global economies and geopolitics in the coming years. However, he reiterated the importance of establishing robust regulatory frameworks to prevent its misuse, stating that nation-states must be proactive in creating protective measures.

"AI will be one of the most important drivers of economy, politics, and geopolitics," he said. "But there will be misuse as well, and we will need to be more vigilant."