MUMBAI -- Rajasthan-based teacher Kuldeep Bhatt's grief over the loss of his cousin, Komi Vyas, in the Air India 171 crash in mid-June was interrupted in a uniquely modern way -- by an artificial intelligence-generated video depicting her cremation, overlaid with a sophisticated montage and grim music.

"We hadn't even identified Komi's body. However, the AI video, stitched together using the selfie Komi had sent us aboard the fateful flight, went viral," Bhatt told Nikkei Asia. Within days of the crash, manipulated visuals based on the selfie had hijacked the family's collective mourning and WhatsApp chats.