Pakistan’s National Elections

       A Shocking Opposition Victory What Happens Next? Key Players Imran Khan Rises Again Khan’s A.I. ‘Victory Speech’

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       Imran Khan’s ‘Victory Speech’ From Jail Shows A.I.’s Peril and Promise

       It was not the first time the technology had been used in Pakistan’s notably repressive election season, but this time it got the world’s attention.

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       The Pakistani ex-prime minister Imran Khan, as seen on a computer screen in the city of Karachi last week. Though in jail, he has managed to speak to his supporters courtesy of an A.I.-generated voice. Credit...Akhtar Soomro/Reuters

       By Yan Zhuang

       Feb. 11, 2024

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       Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has spent the duration of the country’s electoral campaign in jail, disqualified from running in what experts have described as one of the least credible general elections in the country’s 76-year history.

       But from behind bars, he has been rallying his supporters in recent months with speeches that use artificial intelligence to replicate his voice, part of a tech-savvy strategy his party deployed to circumvent a crackdown by the military.

       And on Saturday, as official counts showed candidates aligned with his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., winning the most seats in a surprise result that threw the country’s political system into chaos, it was Mr. Khan’s A.I. voice that declared victory.

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       “I had full confidence that you would all come out to vote. You fulfilled my faith in you, and your massive turnout has stunned everybody,” the mellow, slightly robotic voice said in the minute-long video, which used historical images and footage of Mr. Khan and bore a disclaimer about its A.I. origins. The speech rejected the victory claim of Mr. Khan’s rival, Nawaz Sharif, and urged supporters to defend the win.

       As concerns grow about the use of artificial intelligence and its power to mislead, particularly in elections, Mr. Khan’s videos offer an example of how A.I. can work to circumvent suppression. But, experts say, they also increase fear about its potential dangers.

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       Yan Zhuang is a reporter in The New York Times's Australia bureau, based in Melbourne. More about Yan Zhuang

       A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 12, 2024, Section A, Page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: A.I. Serves As Surrogate For Politician Behind Bars . Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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