The “AI pictures of cricketers” outrage involving the SGPC is about fake, AI‑generated images showing cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Hardik Pandya inside the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) premises, standing bareheaded, which has sparked anger among sections of the Sikh community and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
What is the matter?
-
Social‑media users circulated AI‑generated photos showing Yuvraj Singh and Hardik Pandya standing in the Golden Temple complex without turbans or head coverings, which is a violation of Sikh religious norms inside a gurdwara.
-
These images were not real photographs; they were digitally created using artificial intelligence tools, but they were shared widely, leading many to initially believe they were actual scenes.
Is this real?
-
No, the images are not real. They are AI‑generated fake visuals; neither Yuvraj Singh nor Hardik Pandya were actually present in the Golden Temple in those poses.
-
Similar AI‑generated videos of the Golden Temple (for example, a skeleton walking inside the parikrama or a person driving a jeep within the complex) had already triggered complaints and warnings from Sikh bodies, including the SGPC.
Who said what?
-
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) strongly objected to these AI‑generated images and videos of the Golden Temple, calling them sacrilegious and a violation of Sikh religious sentiments.
-
SGPC leaders, including its president Harjinder Singh Dhami, have urged the central and state governments to introduce strict laws and take tough action against those creating or circulating such AI content so that religious places are not misused online.
Reactions have centered on the need for stricter regulation of AI‑generated religious imagery, with the SGPC warning that misuse of artificial intelligence to show cricketers or others in inappropriate or disrespectful scenes at the Golden Temple must be curbed to protect Sikh faith and religious sanctity.
