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ISLAMABAD: Artificial intelligence allowed Pakistan‘s ex-PM Imran Khan to campaign from behind bars on Monday, with a voice clone of the opposition leader giving an impassioned speech on his behalf.
Imran has been locked up since August and is being tried for leaking classified documents, allegations he says have been trumped up to stop him contesting general elections due in February.But his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party used AI to make a four-minute message from the 71-year-old, headlining a “virtual rally” hosted on social media overnight Sunday into Monday despite internet disruptions which monitor NetBlocks said were consistent with previous attempts to censor Khan.
PTI said Imran sent a shorthand script through lawyers which was fleshed out into his rhetorical lingo. The text was then dubbed into audio using a tool from AI firm ElevenLabs, which boasts the ability to create a “voice clone” from existing speech samples.
“My fellow Pakistanis, I would first like to praise the social media team for this historic attempt,” said the voice mimicking Imran. “Maybe you all are wondering how I am doing in jail… Today, my determination for real freedom is very strong.” The audio was broadcast at the end of a five-hour live-stream of speeches by PTI supporters on Facebook, X and YouTube, and was overlaid with historic footage of Imran.
It was bookended with genuine video clips from the onetime cricket star’s former speeches according to PTI, but a caption appeared at intervals flagging it as the “AI voice of Imran based on his notes”.
“This was a no-brainer, when Imran is no longer there to actually meet at a rally,” said US-based PTI social media chief Jibran Ilyas. “It was to get over the suppression.”
“No PTI political rally is complete without Imran Khan,” Ilyas told AFP.
State censors banned Imran from airwaves earlier this year after his brief arrest in May sparked riots.
Global network monitor NetBlocks said social media was restricted for seven hours starting late Sunday in an incident “consistent with previous instances of internet censorship” targeting Imran.
Pakistan’s telecoms regulator said the interruptions were being investigated, but that internet accessibility overall appeared to be normal.
Nonetheless, the virtual rally was viewed by more than 4.5 million people across Facebook, X and YouTube.
Imran has been locked up since August and is being tried for leaking classified documents, allegations he says have been trumped up to stop him contesting general elections due in February.But his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party used AI to make a four-minute message from the 71-year-old, headlining a “virtual rally” hosted on social media overnight Sunday into Monday despite internet disruptions which monitor NetBlocks said were consistent with previous attempts to censor Khan.
PTI said Imran sent a shorthand script through lawyers which was fleshed out into his rhetorical lingo. The text was then dubbed into audio using a tool from AI firm ElevenLabs, which boasts the ability to create a “voice clone” from existing speech samples.
“My fellow Pakistanis, I would first like to praise the social media team for this historic attempt,” said the voice mimicking Imran. “Maybe you all are wondering how I am doing in jail… Today, my determination for real freedom is very strong.” The audio was broadcast at the end of a five-hour live-stream of speeches by PTI supporters on Facebook, X and YouTube, and was overlaid with historic footage of Imran.
It was bookended with genuine video clips from the onetime cricket star’s former speeches according to PTI, but a caption appeared at intervals flagging it as the “AI voice of Imran based on his notes”.
“This was a no-brainer, when Imran is no longer there to actually meet at a rally,” said US-based PTI social media chief Jibran Ilyas. “It was to get over the suppression.”
“No PTI political rally is complete without Imran Khan,” Ilyas told AFP.
State censors banned Imran from airwaves earlier this year after his brief arrest in May sparked riots.
Global network monitor NetBlocks said social media was restricted for seven hours starting late Sunday in an incident “consistent with previous instances of internet censorship” targeting Imran.
Pakistan’s telecoms regulator said the interruptions were being investigated, but that internet accessibility overall appeared to be normal.
Nonetheless, the virtual rally was viewed by more than 4.5 million people across Facebook, X and YouTube.
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