AI at play: ‘Bal Thackeray’ addresses Sena (UBT) event; targets BJP, Shinde’s party

Nashik: The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to recreate a voice resembling that of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, in an effort to shore up the party’s prospects after the assembly polls debacle.

The nearly 13-minute speech, with a booming voice resembling that of Bal Thackeray, began with his trademark opening line “Jamlelya majhya tamam Hindu bandhavanu, baghinino ani matano” (greetings to my Hindu brothers, sisters and mothers who have gathered here).

It was relayed at a Sena (UBT) gathering in Nashik in north Maharashtra.

The speech tried to recreate, according to the Sena (UBT), what Bal Thackeray would have said had he been alive.

The AI-created speech primarily attacked the BJP and the present Shiv Sena under Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. It sounded more like Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s attacks on the BJP and Shinde’s party during the Lok Sabha and state assembly polls.

It also tried to capture the mannerisms and tone of Bal Thackeray, who was a powerful orator.

This is the first time the Sena founder’s speech was used by his son’s party to train guns on its opponents. The party could use this strategy in future rallies as Uddhav Thackeray faces the most challenging phase of his political career so far.

The Sena (UBT) is also gearing up for the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, which might be held this year.

The AI move comes when the Sena (UBT) is being mocked by its opponents with old videos of Bal Thackeray castigating the Congress.

Sena (UBT), Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) are constituents of the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which performed disastrously in last year’s assembly polls by bagging only 46 of the 288 seats.

Sena (UBT) got only 20 seats compared to the rival Shiv Sena’s 57.