In a first, Karnataka cops to deploy agentic AI to combat fake news: Report
Bengaluru: Karnataka police are set to deploy a cutting-edge artificial intelligence system in a landmark move to tackle online misinformation, fake news, and cybercrimes.
The new system will be powered by "agentic AI" — advanced AI technology capable of independently identifying and flagging harmful content on the internet, as reported by Deccan Herald on Monday.
The initiative builds on the earlier work of the Information Disorder Tackling Unit (IDTU) under the Department of Electronics, IT and BT. That unit has now been integrated into the newly established Cyber Command Unit (CCU) under the Home Department.
At the core of the CCU's strategy is the deployment of agentic AI systems. Unlike traditional AI models that rely heavily on human supervision, agentic AI can perform complex tasks autonomously and make real-time decisions, functioning as digital assistants for police officers.
"These agents are deployed across public parts of the internet to identify and flag harmful content. They do not access private messages or personal conversations," DH quoted a senior police official involved in the project as saying.
Once flagged, this content will be reviewed by human operators. If deemed relevant to the public, particularly in the case of misinformation, the content will be published on an interactive government platform — satya.gov.in — where it will be reframed in simple, easy-to-understand language. Citizens will also be able to participate by submitting verified information or reporting suspicious content, making the system more collaborative.
To build the capabilities of agentic AI, the police have begun working with both Large Language Models (LLMs) and Small Language Models (SLMs) — machine learning systems capable of handling specific tasks with minimal input, DH added.
"These models are currently being used to complete targeted tasks. Over time, as we gather more data, we'll use it to train our agentic systems," the officer mentioned.
All development work is being carried out in-house at the IDTU. So far, the unit has been relying on traditional AI to monitor misinformation online and had achieved strong results with high accuracy. However, those systems were limited in scope and required substantial human oversight. The shift to agentic AI is expected to reduce that dependency and scale up operations.
Meanwhile, the officer cautioned that even the most advanced AI systems are still capable of producing false or misleading conclusions, a phenomenon known as "hallucination." As a result, human oversight will remain essential even after these systems are deployed. "Developing and refining such high-tech systems requires continuous observation, research, and testing," the officer added.
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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
