Video of Udhayanidhi Stalin using computer ‘without switching it on’ is AI generated

A video is viral on social media seemingly showing deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu Udhayanidhi Stalin working on a computer with a blank, unlit screen, while three or four cameramen focus their lenses on the minister.

Several users on social media platforms have circulated this video mocking Udhayanidhi, the son of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin.

X user @rvaidya2000 posted the viral clip on December 2 with the sarcastic jibe that Udhayanidhi “is so brilliant that he can work on a computer without switching it on”. At the time of this article being written, the post has racked up more than 2 lakh views, and has been re-shared some 2,500 times. (Archive) 

Udhayanidhi Stalin Deputy CM TN – one of the finest Dravidian minds ever to grace the earth — a powerhouse blend of Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Sundar Pichai, and Steve Jobs. He’s so brilliant that he can work on a computer even without switching it on! :))))) RT pic.twitter.com/uxpN7ykegN

— RVAIDYA2000 🕉️ (@rvaidya2000) December 2, 2025

X user @wokeflix also posted the viral clip. (Archive)

40 years of his Grandfather
20 years of his Father
Still he can’t figure out how to switch on a computer. pic.twitter.com/wtcJ159h9l

— Wokeflix (@wokeflix) December 3, 2025

Several other users, like (@pkspathi), (@Kaustubh_SSS) and (@MVinothOffl) also posted the viral clip. Archives: 1, 2, 3

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Fact Check

To verify the authenticity of the video clip, we broke it down into several keyframes. A reverse image search on one of these keyframes led us to this report, published by The Hindu, on October 28. It shows Udhayanidhi Stalin seated in front of a computer at the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) Command and Control Centre at Ripon Buildings, to take preparatory measures in anticipation of Cyclone Montha which affected parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu in October this year.

ANI also uploaded footage of Udhayanidhi’s visit to the GCC, from October 28, where he can be seen using the computer, and interacting with the staff. Here, it can be clearly discerned that the computer screen is turned on as he uses it.

#WATCH | Chennai: Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin conducts surprise inspection at Greater Chennai Corporation’s Command and Control Centre. The Centre has been established to continuously monitor various aspects of the city — including rainfall levels across different… pic.twitter.com/58E73tKfNJ

— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2025

In the viral video, Udhayanidhi Stalin’s hand movements appear to be distorted, indicating that it could contain AI-generated content. Moreover, there is a camera flash gun which seems to be floating in the air.

Thereafter, we looked for supporting media from Udhayanidhi Stalin’s visit to the Command and Control Centre, to verify whether the computer screen was indeed turned off while it was being used – as the claims suggested.

We found that Udhayanidhi Stalin himself had posted on X about his visit to the GCC on October 28. The computer he sits in front of, in one of the photos attached, has its screen turned on.

சென்னையில் பரவலாக மழை பெய்து வரும் நிலையில், பெருநகர சென்னை மாநகராட்சியின் தலைமை அலுவலகத்தில் அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள ஒருங்கிணைந்த கட்டளை மற்றும் சேவை மையத்தில் சற்று முன் ஆய்வு செய்தோம்.

மழை தொடர்பாக வரும் கோரிக்கைகள் – தேவைகள் பற்றி அங்கு பணியில் இருந்தோர்களிடம் கேட்டறிந்தோம். pic.twitter.com/lyHI9hYnKD

— Udhay – தமிழ்நாட்டை தலைகுனிய விடமாட்டேன் (@Udhaystalin) October 27, 2025

We also ran the video through HIVE’s AI detection tool. According to this, there is a 94.3% likelihood that the viral video contains AI-generated material.

In conclusion, the video claiming to show Tamil Nadu deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin working on a computer which has its screen turned off is a doctored one.