Imran Ashraf breaks silence on AI death hoax

Pakistani actor Imran Ashraf has reassured his fans that he is alive and in good health after fake, AI-generated videos claiming that he had died began circulating on social media.

Ashraf addressed the rumours through an Instagram story, making it clear that reports of his death were completely false. He said he was “absolutely fine” and remained alive, while also asking his followers to remember him in their prayers.

The clarification came after several manipulated videos appeared online showing seemingly authentic clips of journalists and celebrities announcing that the actor had died. The fabricated reports reportedly claimed that Ashraf had suffered a heart attack.

One TikTok account shared multiple AI-generated videos featuring digitally recreated versions of well-known personalities, including actor Bilal Abbas, former cricketer Shahid Afridi and journalist Mansoor Ali Khan. Another fabricated video even appeared to depict a funeral for the popular television host and actor.

The incident has once again highlighted the growing problem of artificial intelligence being used to create convincing but completely false celebrity news. Such videos can quickly spread across social media before users have an opportunity to verify their authenticity.

Ashraf is also not the first Pakistani celebrity to become the target of false death reports. Singer Tahira Syed faced a similar situation in June when rumours of her death circulated online. She later posted a video confirming that she was alive and well and urged people to verify information before sharing it.

Actor Tauseeq Haider also became the subject of AI-generated misinformation when fabricated images circulated claiming that he had married actor Farah Saadia. The two actors jointly rejected the claim and humorously said they were still happily single, while asking the creators to send them wedding gifts if they were going to continue the story.

The spread of such fabricated content has raised concerns about the misuse of AI tools to imitate real people and create misleading narratives. With digitally generated videos becoming increasingly realistic, celebrities and public figures are facing greater difficulty in controlling false information about themselves.