Imran Khan's AI voice - "Most Interesting Thing in Tech"

Imran Khan's AI voice - "Most Interesting Thing in Tech"

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan garnered international attention despite his voice being suppressed in the local mainstream media. In Pakistan, where the state has prohibited mentioning Imran Khan's name and displaying his image, he gained significant global coverage for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's unprecedented virtual rally. The event was broadcast live across all official PTI social media platforms and skillfully hosted by the PTI’s social media team.

The fear of Imran Khan's popularity led the caretaker government to implement extreme measures, such as internet shutdowns and slowdowns on social media platforms across different regions of Pakistan. Despite these hurdles, the virtual Jalsa garnered significant attention, attracting millions of viewers who tuned in to watch the event live on various social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The pinnacle of the momentous virtual rally was the AI-generated speech by Imran Khan, which claimed the spotlight. The PTI social media team skillfully produced a video utilizing an AI-generated voice to deliver Imran Khan’s message, derived from notes he had shared with his legal team a day before. This message not only deeply resonated with millions, eliciting emotions of unwavering passion for their leader, but it also caught the attention of global media. The innovative use of this new technology to connect with the people, even while being illegally incarcerated and unable to make a personal appearance, impressed and intrigued media outlets worldwide.

The CEO of The Atlantic and previous member of Wired publication, Nicohlas Thompson called Imran Khan's AI voice the "Most Interesting Thing in Tech". He added,

“Imran Khan, the imprisoned former prime minister of Pakistan, uses AI voice technology to give a speech, via video conference, at a rally for his supporters. It's a crazy new use for a technology that has improved rapidly in the last year.”

Khaleej Times - Pakistan's jailed Imran Khan uses AI-crafted speech to call for votes.

Pakistan's jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, used an audio clip generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to address supporters in the first event of its kind in the politics of the South Asian nation, though marred by internet disruptions.

The audio, played over a photograph of Khan during an internet rally of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, drew more than 1.4 million views streamed on YouTube and attended live by tens of thousands on other social media.

The Guardian - Imran Khan deploys AI clone to campaign from behind bars in Pakistan.

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 Khan and still images.

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 Khan based on his notes.

France 24 - Pakistan ex-PM Khan uses AI voice clone to campaign from jail.

The PTI was the first political party in Pakistan to widely harness the potential of social media, using apps to target younger audiences who carried them to power five years ago.”

Artificial intelligence allowed Pakistan's ex-prime minister Imran Khan to campaign from behind bars on Monday, with a voice clone of the opposition leader giving an impassioned speech on his behalf.

DW – Pakistani ex-PM Imran Khan uses AI 'voice clone' from jail

PTI said that Khan sent his team a shorthand script, which was then fleshed out by lawyers and passed through a "voice clone" AI tool.

The message was broadcast at the end of a five-hour live stream of speeches by PTI supporters on social media platforms. It was viewed by over 4.5 million people across Facebook, X and YouTube.

The Citizen’s Voice - Pakistan ex-PM Khan uses AI voice clone to campaign from jail.

Artificial intelligence allowed Pakistan's ex-prime minister Imran Khan to campaign from behind bars on Monday, with a voice clone of the opposition leader giving an impassioned speech on his behalf.

Taiwan Times - Pakistani ex-PM Imran Khan uses AI 'voice clone' from jail.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) party said it used artificial intelligence to create an audio message imitating the politician's voice.

The message was marked as an "AI voice of Imran Khan based on his notes.

The Mountaineer - Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan (pictured after a court appearance in July 2023) has used AI to campaign from jail on social media.

But his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party used artificial intelligence 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.

Non-Stop Local - Pakistan ex-PM Khan uses AI voice clone to campaign from jail.

Artificial intelligence allowed Pakistan's ex-prime minister Imran Khan to campaign from behind bars on Monday, with a voice clone of the opposition leader giving an impassioned speech on his behalf.

BBC - Imran Khan: Pakistan ex-PM used artificial intelligence to campaign from jail.

His Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) party used AI to make an audio clip to address an internet "virtual rally".

Mr Khan's speech was generated from text he had written from prison and had approved by his lawyers, PTI said.

Al Jazeera - Pakistan’s Imran Khan delivers AI-generated speech to campaign from prison.

The PTI said its virtual rally drew more than five million views on social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter despite internet outages reported from various parts of the country.

The PTI organised the internet rally to bypass a government ban on public rallies by the party as it gears up for general elections, scheduled on February 8.

CNN - Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan uses AI to give speech ahead of general election.

Khan’s Sunday virtual rally drew more than 1.4 million views on YouTube and was viewed live by tens of thousands on other social media platforms. NetBlocks, an internet watchdog that monitors cybersecurity, said social media platforms were restricted in Pakistan for about seven hours on Sunday during the PTI’s virtual rally.

The use of the AI audio recording is being seen as an example of how AI technology has been used by politicians who say they are battling state suppression.

Time - Pakistan’s Imran Khan Delivers Speech From Behind Bars, Using Artificial Intelligence

On Sunday, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party streamed a five-hour “virtual powershow,” an online rally featuring at its end a four-minute speech written by the jailed Khan and delivered by an A.I. voice replicating the 71-year-old former cricket star turned political leader. Within 12 hours, it had already racked up more than 1.5 million views on YouTube.

The Washington Post - Pakistan’s former leader Imran Khan uses AI to campaign from behind bars.

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan campaigned from behind bars over the weekend, using artificial intelligence in an online rally to circumvent a broad state-backed crackdown on events held by his party.

The social media team from the Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, opposition party used AI to generate audio of Khan’s voice for a four-minute videoclip, accompanied by graphics and previously filmed footage, that ran online Sunday night local time.

The Verge – Pakistan’s former prime minister is using an AI voice clone to campaign from prison.

The leader’s political party released a four-minute video on Sunday evening that used AI-voice cloning technology to replicate his voice. In the video, which aired during a “virtual rally” in Pakistan, the dubbed audio is accompanied by a caption that states, “AI voice of Imran Khan based on his notes.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Khan supporters have lavished the video with praise on social media. Voicebot.ai reported that Khan’s social media team used archival footage from Khan’s older rallies and ElevenLab’s synthetic audio engine to clone the politician’s voice. The video is a mix of both historical footage and stock images.

Forbes – Imran Khan—Pakistan’s Jailed Ex-Leader—Uses AI Deepfake To Address Online Election Rally

Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held an online campaign rally featured an AI-generated video of the former leader addressing his supporters and urging them to vote in large numbers for his party.

The video clip, which is about four minutes long, features an AI-generated voice resembling Khan’s delivering the speech and briefly includes an AI-generated deep fake video of the jailed leader sitting in front of a Pakistani flag.

The Globe and Mail - Jailed former Pakistani PM Imran Khan uses AI-crafted speech to lure votes.

Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, whose party isn’t allowed to hold public rallies, used an audio clip generated by artificial intelligence (AI) late Sunday to address a virtual rally in the first event of its kind in the country.

Reuters - Pakistan's jailed Imran Khan uses AI-crafted speech to lure votes.

The audio clip, marred by internet disruptions, was played over the AI-generated image which appears to be speaking, during an internet rally of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. It drew more than 1.4 million views on YouTube and was attended live by tens of thousands on other social media platforms.

Arab News - Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan uses AI to give speech ahead of general election.

His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party held an online rally on Sunday that lasted about seven hours, during which it released a roughly four-minute clip that used AI technology to mimic Khan’s voice. The audio was overlayed with old footage and photographs of the country’s former leader.

TRT World - In a first in Pakistan, jailed Khan uses AI crafted speech to lure voters.

The audio clip, marred by internet disruptions, was played over the AI-generated image which appears to be speaking, during an internet rally of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

AB News - Pakistan is stunned as party of imprisoned ex-PM Khan uses AI to replicate his voice for a speech.

For the first time, artificial intelligence has been used to deliver a speech by Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan to supporters. The stunning development could help his political party to win upcoming elections, analysts said Monday.

The replicated voice of Pakistan’s most popular opposition figure was used to address a virtual event on social media watched by more than a million people. The four-minute speech was written by Khan in prison and delivered by AI.

Radio Free Europe - Jailed Former Pakistani PM Khan Uses AI-Generated Speech To Call For Votes.

Pakistan's jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan used an audio clip generated by artificial intelligence (AI) late on December 17 to address a virtual rally in the first event of its kind in the country. The audio clip was played over an AI-generated image that appears to be speaking, during an Internet rally of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. "Our party is not allowed to hold public rallies," Khan said in the speech pegged to the general elections set for February 8. Disruptions to livestreaming fueled transparency concerns about the elections, with users complaining of slow Internet speeds. Pakistan's telecoms regulator said the interruptions were being investigated.

Asia Financial - Jailed Imran Khan Seeks Votes With AI Speech, Internet Rally.

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan called for votes using an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated speech and a first-of-its-kind ‘internet rally’ on Sunday ahead of the country’s upcoming general election.

Khan’s address was an audio clip generated by AI from a written version he had approved from prison, officials of his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said.

AA - Pakistan’s jailed ex-Premier Khan uses AI-generated speech to reach out to voters.

Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan used artificial intelligence (AI) to address his supporters across the country and abroad in the first event of its kind in the politics of the South Asian nation, his party’s spokesman said.

NHK World - Pakistan's jailed former PM uses AI to solicit votes.

Pakistan's imprisoned former Prime Minister, Imran Khan has succeeded in delivering a speech despite a ban, using an audio clip generated by artificial intelligence. This comes as his party prepares for a general election in February.

Analytics Drift – Imran Khan used AI-Generated Audio Clip to Address a Virtual Rally from Prison.

It is quite fascinating to see that AI is being widely used as a political weapon to justify narratives. In this case, the intangible nature of AI was used efficiently for a political speech to mitigate/compensate for the absence of a tangible presence of a leader. With AI growing rapidly, it is to be seen how the coming decade will harness the capabilities of AI for good and for bad.

Numerous international media houses were astonished by the positive application of AI and the vast audience that participated in witnessing this historic moment in Pakistan's history. The persistent suppression faced by the people of Pakistan in exercising their democratic right to assemble, rally, and voice their concerns has driven them to innovate and explore alternative means of expression. This event serves as yet another brilliant example of how determination and resourcefulness prevail, showcasing that where there is a will, there is a way.