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Imran Khan campaigns from his cell thanks to artificial intelligence
Political context and incarceration of the former head of the Pakistani government
Pakistan’s legislative elections in February are being actively prepared, while Imran Khan, the former prime minister, is incarcerated on charges linked to diplomatic gifts. Although behind bars, he maintains his political ambitions for the upcoming election.
Imran Khan, famous for his career as a cricket player and captain who led Pakistan to victory in the World Cup, then embarked on a political trajectory by creating the PTI party (Pakistan Movement for Justice). After benefiting from the support of the army which then turned away from him, he came to power in 2018 for a four-year mandate before being imprisoned on various charges, including corruption.
An innovative campaign thanks to technology
Since his detention began in August, Khan has rejected the accusations, denouncing censorship and conspiracy. However, he has not lost his determination and has recently used artificial intelligence technology to overcome his physical limitations and address his supporters.
His speeches are first entrusted to his lawyers, to then be processed by ElevenLab, an American start-up specializing in speech synthesis. This partnership made it possible to create a digital replica of his voice, faithfully reproducing his intonations. Once transformed into a digital speech, Imran Khan’s message, embellished with archive images, was presented during a virtual meeting organized by the PTI, while specifying that the message was generated by an « AI voice ».
The party’s social network broadcast this virtual message, but network blockages suspected of being orchestrated by the current holders of power disrupted the online broadcast.
Challenges to overcome and intriguing perspectives
- Imran Khan faces a significant number of lawsuits.
- He could be sentenced to up to fourteen years in prison.
- In the current context, he is considering other creative solutions to stay connected with his supporters, such as the use of holograms or the creation of digital avatars.
In a parallel development indicative of AI’s advance, Russian President Vladimir Putin interacted with his virtual counterpart at a conference, highlighting both the opportunities and risks inherent in the technology.
To read Quelle IA détecte le mieux les images ? Comparaison entre ImageDetector et IMGDetector.AI
Despite the obstacles, Imran Khan remains combative and seeks to innovate to maintain contact with the electorate. AI technology appears to offer cutting-edge communications alternatives for those, like him, who are prevented from campaigning in traditional ways.
