TL;DR:
- Imran Khan, former prime minister of Pakistan, employed AI voice cloning technology for his political campaign while he was incarcerated.
- Khan’s political party, PTI, released a video featuring an AI-generated voice replicating his distinctive style.
- A shorthand script provided by Khan was refined by a legal team and transformed into audio using ElevenLabs’ AI technology.
- The campaign successfully blended historical footage and synthetic audio to maintain Khan’s presence.
- The virtual rally garnered over 500,000 YouTube views and widespread social media attention.
- The Pakistani government temporarily shut down key social media platforms to suppress public access during the event.
Main AI News:
While Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, remains behind bars due to charges of illegally selling state gifts, his political campaign continues unabated with a cutting-edge twist. Recently, Khan’s political party unveiled a four-minute video during a “virtual rally” in Pakistan, featuring AI voice cloning technology that faithfully replicates his distinctive voice. Accompanying the dubbed audio is a caption proudly declaring, “AI voice of Imran Khan based on his notes.”
This groundbreaking campaign tactic was orchestrated by Jibran Ilyas, a prominent figure in Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who shared the video via various platforms. It is reported that Khan provided PTI with a shorthand script, meticulously polished by a legal team to mirror the politician’s rhetorical finesse. Subsequently, this text was transformed into audio using ElevenLabs’ cutting-edge software, renowned for its text-to-speech capabilities and AI voice generation prowess.
Ilyas explained the rationale behind this unconventional strategy, stating, “This was a no-brainer for us, when Imran Khan is no longer there to actually meet at a political rally. It was to get over the suppression.”
Predictably, Khan’s supporters showered the video with accolades across social media channels. The process involved merging archival footage from Khan’s previous rallies with ElevenLab’s synthetic audio engine, effectively cloning the statesman’s voice. The resulting video seamlessly blends historical clips with stock images, creating a compelling and convincing political message.
The impact of this endeavor was remarkable, as the five-hour virtual rally amassed an impressive 500,000 views on YouTube, in addition to being widely streamed on various social media platforms. In response, the Pakistani government moved swiftly to curtail public access to the virtual rally, temporarily suspending Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. NetBlocks, an internet tracking agency, confirmed a nationwide disruption across Pakistan’s social media platforms during the event.
Conclusion:
Imran Khan’s innovative use of AI voice cloning technology to sustain his political campaign while imprisoned demonstrates the growing influence of AI in political communication. This strategy not only enabled Khan to maintain a strong presence but also showcased the potential for AI-driven political campaigns in a digitally connected world, likely to inspire similar tactics in the future. It underscores the need for businesses involved in AI technologies to explore applications beyond traditional sectors, potentially expanding opportunities in the political marketing domain.
