Imran Khan’s AI prison address

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan needed a tech solution to get his message out during the Pakistani parliamentary elections.

Khan, himself disqualified from running due to his prison sentence on corruption charges, has spent months urging voters to help elect his political allies, independent candidates affiliated with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf political party. Khan, unable to record an address from prison, used an AI-generated version of his voice to read it.

After the results of the disputed election came in on Saturday, with both Khan and fellow former prime minister Nawaz Sharif claiming victory, Khan used his trusty AI voice clone to deliver a victory speech.

Khan isn’t alone in relying on the emerging technology to boost his political ambitions. All around the world, politicians are using AI to bridge language gaps, interact with voters, and of course spread fear-mongering images of dystopian futures.