Imprisoned Albanian mayor delivers deepfake speech using AI avatar
Jailed Albanian mayor uses AI avatar to make deepfake speech
AI summary
Albanian Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj, detained in Durrës since early 2025 on corruption charges, posted a video on his official Instagram account featuring an AI-generated avatar, in which he reaffirmed his commitment to free school meals for all children in the city and said, "I can only greet you through artificial intelligence." He retains his mayoral position until the municipal elections in the first half of 2027. Previously, Pakistan's Imran Khan and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro also used AI deepfake avatars to speak; Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama launched the world's first AI virtual minister Diella in autumn 2025, which later drew criticism over portrait rights disputes.