(Islamabad) For the first time, artificial intelligence (AI) was used to deliver a speech by imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to his supporters. The stunning development could help his political party win the upcoming elections, analysts said on Monday.
The reproduced voice of Pakistan’s most popular opposition figure was used in a virtual social media event followed by more than a million people. The four-minute speech was written by Khan in prison and delivered by the AI.
It was not immediately clear whether Khan’s Pakistan Justice Movement, or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had violated any laws. The party confirmed that the speech was generated by AI. Khan’s public speeches are heavily restricted in Pakistan.
The Pakistani government made no comment.
Khan has had virtually no contact with the outside world since he was jailed in August on corruption charges. He faces a host of other legal cases, preventing him from running in the February 8 parliamentary elections. His lawyer says he could still apply because his appeal of his conviction and sentence has not yet been decided in court.
The use of AI on Khan’s voice and the buzz it has created demonstrates his popularity. It also illustrates how technologically advanced Khan’s political party is compared to older, more established parties, analysts say.
“The use of artificial intelligence in Pakistan is something new, and even I did not expect that the PTI would be able to use it before the elections in order to mobilize its supporters,” asserted Umayr Hassan, a computer engineer based in Lahore.
Azim Chaudhry, a political analyst in Islamabad, said about 128 million voters are eligible to vote, but barely 20 million people in Pakistan use social media.
He added that it remains to be seen how the government would respond to AI-generated audio. “Certainly, the use of artificial intelligence will give a boost to PTI, but the big question is whether Imran Khan has violated any laws, because no criminal can directly or indirectly attack such gatherings by under the law,” he said.
In the audio recording, Khan’s voice praised his supporters and followers on social media. The speech urged people to vote for PTI in the upcoming elections.