ISLAMABAD: Thanks to artificial intelligence, Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan was able to campaign from behind bars on Monday, with a voice clone of the opposition leader delivering an impassioned speech on his behalf. did it.
Imran has been in captivity since August and is on trial for leaking classified documents, but claims the charges were trumped up to prevent him from running in general elections scheduled for February. . However, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party used AI to create a four-minute message from the 71-year-old and posted it on social media from Sunday to Monday despite the internet disruption. It made headlines for a “virtual gathering” organized, monitor NetBlocks said. It was consistent with previous attempts to censor Khan.
PTI said Imran sent a shorthand manuscript embodying his rhetorical terms through his lawyer. The text was then dubbed into audio using tools from his AI company Eleven Labs, which boasts the ability to create “voice clones” from existing audio samples.
“Dear Pakistanis, I would first like to commend the social media team for this historic endeavor,” he said in a voice imitating Imran. “You are probably wondering how I am doing in prison… Today, my determination for true freedom is very strong.” This audio was posted on Facebook, X, was broadcast on YouTube at the end of a five-hour live stream of speeches by PTI supporters and was superimposed with historical footage of Imran.
According to PTI, the show featured authentic video clips from the former cricket star's previous speeches, but occasionally featured captions indicating that it was “Imran's AI voice based on notes.” Ta.
“This was natural since Imran can no longer be seen physically at rallies,” said Jibran Ilyas, the US-based head of PTI social media. “It was about overcoming oppression.”
“There is no PTI political rally without Imran Khan,” Ilyas told AFP.
State censors banned Imran from broadcasting earlier this year after he sparked a riot during his brief arrest in May.
Global network monitoring firm NetBlocks said social media was restricted for seven hours starting late Sunday in an incident “consistent with past instances of internet censorship” targeting Imran.
Pakistan's telecommunications regulator said the outage was under investigation, but internet access appeared to be generally normal.
Nevertheless, the virtual rally was viewed by more than 4.5 million people across Facebook, X, and YouTube.
Imran has been in captivity since August and is on trial for leaking classified documents, but claims the charges were trumped up to prevent him from running in general elections scheduled for February. . However, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party used AI to create a four-minute message from the 71-year-old and posted it on social media from Sunday to Monday despite the internet disruption. It made headlines for a “virtual gathering” organized, monitor NetBlocks said. It was consistent with previous attempts to censor Khan.
PTI said Imran sent a shorthand manuscript embodying his rhetorical terms through his lawyer. The text was then dubbed into audio using tools from his AI company Eleven Labs, which boasts the ability to create “voice clones” from existing audio samples.
“Dear Pakistanis, I would first like to commend the social media team for this historic endeavor,” he said in a voice imitating Imran. “You are probably wondering how I am doing in prison… Today, my determination for true freedom is very strong.” This audio was posted on Facebook, X, was broadcast on YouTube at the end of a five-hour live stream of speeches by PTI supporters and was superimposed with historical footage of Imran.
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“This was natural since Imran can no longer be seen physically at rallies,” said Jibran Ilyas, the US-based head of PTI social media. “It was about overcoming oppression.”
“There is no PTI political rally without Imran Khan,” Ilyas told AFP.
State censors banned Imran from broadcasting earlier this year after he sparked a riot during his brief arrest in May.
Global network monitoring firm NetBlocks said social media was restricted for seven hours starting late Sunday in an incident “consistent with past instances of internet censorship” targeting Imran.
Pakistan's telecommunications regulator said the outage was under investigation, but internet access appeared to be generally normal.
Nevertheless, the virtual rally was viewed by more than 4.5 million people across Facebook, X, and YouTube.
