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Watch: Jailed Imran Khan's AI-crafted speech but… internet plays truant
Imran Khan's AI Speech: "Our party is not allowed to hold public rallies," Imran Khan said in the speech.
Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan used an audio clip generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to address supporters. This marks a first event of its kind in the politics of Pakistan. In the speech which was marred by internet disruptions, the audio was played over a photograph of Imran Khan. The video was watched more than 1.4 million times on YouTube and attended live by tens of thousands on other social media as well.
"Our party is not allowed to hold public rallies," Imran Khan said in the speech, urging supporters to turn out in large numbers at general elections.
“Our people are being kidnapped and their families are being harassed,” he said as disruptions to livestreaming occurred. Pakistan's telecoms regulator said that the interruptions were being investigated. It later said that internet accessibility overall appeared to be normal.
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How was Imran Khan's speech generated?
Imran Khan's speech was generated from a written version which was approved from prison, his party officials said. The party staged the event as it faces a state-backed crackdown on physical gatherings. Imran Khan has also been blacked out of media, news agency Reuters reported as Murtaza Solangi, information minister in Pakistan's caretaker government, has been suspected of favouring Imran Khan's opponents.
Will Imran Khan stay in jail?
Imran Khan has been jailed since his conviction over corruption charges on August 5. The former premier has been embroiled in dozens of court cases, with some trials held in prison behind closed doors. The 71-year-old former cricket star has faced the political crisis since his ouster last year in a vote of confidence in Pakistan's parliament. The party crackdown followed a May assault on military sites by Imran Khan's party supporters who were protesting his brief arrest.
Imran Khan had won the last general election in 2018.
