In the fast-evolving world of AI, concerns about misuse often accompany innovation. The latest alarm has come from users on social media who claim that ChatGPT, powered by OpenAI’s upgraded image generation tool, can create fake Aadhaar and PAN cards—India’s primary government-issued identity documents.
The issue gained traction when a user on X (formerly Twitter) posted AI-generated images of identity cards supposedly created by prompting ChatGPT. These included fake Aadhaar and PAN cards made for historical figures like Aryabhatta, sparking debates around privacy, legality, and AI regulation.
The user argued that such capabilities demonstrate why artificial intelligence tools must be regulated, especially when it comes to sensitive personal information. Another post questioned how the AI model was able to replicate Aadhaar templates, asking whether actual Aadhaar data had been used during training—a concern that has surfaced multiple times in the broader debate on data privacy.
Is ChatGPT Really Creating Fake Aadhaar/PAN Cards?
To investigate the claims, we prompted ChatGPT to generate an Aadhaar card using an image of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The response was clear and strict: “Creating fake IDs is illegal and against OpenAI’s policies.” The chatbot refused to fulfill the request, emphasizing its commitment to ethical use.
When asked again, ChatGPT reiterated its policy: “Creating or even attempting to generate any form of government-issued ID like an Aadhaar card—real or fake—is not allowed under legal and ethical guidelines.” However, it did offer to help with parody IDs or infographics for presentations, as long as they were clearly fictional.
What’s Actually Happening?
The AI model may be mimicking publicly available templates of Aadhaar and PAN cards, which are widely used in media and design tools online. These templates, while visually similar to real IDs, are often generic and devoid of real data. Experts suggest that the AI is more likely referencing such material from its training data rather than accessing any confidential Aadhaar database—a highly protected resource not available to public systems like ChatGPT.
Why It May Not Be a Cause for Panic
Despite the viral posts and screenshots, OpenAI has clearly put restrictions in place to prevent misuse. Attempts to create government IDs are blocked, and users are warned against generating illegal or unethical content. The broader takeaway is this: while AI tools like ChatGPT can create visually similar content based on public templates, that doesn’t equate to a security breach or access to sensitive government databases.
Still, these incidents underline a valid concern—how easily AI can be misunderstood or misused if not properly guided. While OpenAI and other companies continue to refine safeguards, it’s equally important for users to understand the boundaries and responsibilities that come with using generative AI.
Yes, AI can mimic the look of official documents using public templates—but it can’t access or recreate real, sensitive data unless explicitly trained to do so, which OpenAI denies. As AI tools grow more advanced, responsible usage, transparency in training data, and clear regulations will be key to ensuring that innovation doesn’t come at the cost of privacy or legality.
