Candidates use yesteryear leaders in AI, audio, lookalike model

CHENNAI: Lok Sabha election candidates cutting across political parties made use of audios of deceased political leaders of the state to woo voters.

Loaded with artificial intelligence software and much to the astonishment of the Congress cadre, Vijay Vasanth party’s LS candidate and sitting MP made his father H Vasanthakumar, former Congress MP, who died of COVID in August 2020, enter the campaign positively and seek votes for him. In his AI generated message, Vasanthakumar said though he’s separated from people physically after his lifetime, he’s still alive in the hearts of people.

“To continue my public service, my son Vijay Vasanth stands with you to serve the common good, for the progress of all children and bring more developments to Kanniyakumari,” he swore. Further Vasanthakumar took pride in being a politician in Congress and it’s his duty to nurture the party. Let the legacy of K Kamaraj, former chief minister, goes on forever, he concluded.

Some candidates even borrowed the legacy of rival party leaders to win the hearts of the voters.

BJP Central Chennai candidate Vinoj P Selvam on Wednesday visited the memorials of MGR and J Jayalalithaa, both leaders of AIADMK, to increase his likeability quotient. Selvam went to the extent of justifying that the two leaders must not be construed as belonging to the AIADMK, but the entire country.

The BJP candidate could not be blamed given that even the national leaders of the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi only invoked the legacy of MGR and Jayalalithaa to warm up to the voters.

AIADMK candidate for South Chennai J Jayavardhan proved that he was second to none by getting deceased Jayalalithaa to canvass for him. Many received calls from anonymous numbers. When attended, an old speech of Jayalalithaa seeking votes for Jayavardhan played out. BJP candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan also used her own audio.