- Imprisoned former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, delivered a speech using artificial intelligence to his supporters during a virtual rally hosted by his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
- The AI voice, which replicated Khan’s voice, was used to deliver a four-minute speech that Khan had written before his imprisonment.
- The virtual rally garnered over 1.5 million views on YouTube within 12 hours of broadcasting.
- The virtual event was reportedly met with restricted internet speeds and limited access to social media platforms, sparking concerns over the fairness of the upcoming election in February.
Jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has found an innovative way of communicating with his supporters, despite his party not being allowed to hold in-person rallies prior to the February elections. With the aid of artificial intelligence, Khan made a four-minute speech at the end of a five-hour “virtual powershow,” an online rally organized by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. The speech, which was written by Khan himself, was delivered using an AI voice that mimicked the 71-year-old politician’s tone and inflection.
The virtual rally, streamed on YouTube, managed to attract more than 1.5 million views within 12 hours of being aired. The AI-assisted Khan praised his social media team for their “historic attempt” and highlighted that no PTI political rally is complete without his presence.
However, the event was not without its obstacles. There were reports of reduced internet speeds and limited access to social media platforms during the rally. Critics believe that these disruptions were orchestrated by the Pakistani authorities with the intent of limiting the rally’s reach, raising concerns about the impartiality of the impending election.
Additionally, there have been allegations against the election commission for altering constituency boundaries in favor of Khan’s political opponent, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Concerns about freedom of speech have also arisen as Khan’s name and image have allegedly been blacklisted in mainstream Pakistani media.
Khan, who was Pakistan’s most popular politician as of March, has been in jail since August on multiple charges, including illegally selling gifts from other heads of state and leaking classified documents. Despite being awarded bail, he remains in detention due to these ongoing charges, which he maintains are politically motivated.