An AI-generated video released by jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party on Saturday shows him claiming victory in the country’s elections.
Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party resisted months of repression that disrupted campaigning and forced candidates to run as independents in Thursday’s vote, but observers were stunned. I showed him what was going on.
By Saturday morning, a slow counting process showed independents had won at least 99 seats, 88 of them loyal to Mr. Khan.
The military-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won 71 seats and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won 53 seats. Small parties won the rest, and 15 of the 266 seats in parliament have yet to be announced.
“I congratulate you all on your victory in the 2024 elections. I had strong faith that you would vote,” Khan said in an AI video shared on his X profile early Saturday morning. He is said to have been the fourth of his party to have produced one.
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Khan’s appearance is from a real video clip recorded last year, but his voice and speech are artificially generated.
Khan’s party has redefined election campaigning in Pakistan through the use of social media “rallies” and artificial intelligence technology.
Television channels were prohibited from mentioning Khan’s name or showing video clips of him, and the party was also banned from holding in-person rallies.
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Instead, PTI media staff conducted the party’s election campaign online, holding YouTube and TikTok “rallies” despite authorities regularly cutting off access to the internet.
This strategy is widely credited with winning youth votes for independent candidates loyal to the PTI and contributing significantly to its success.
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