Jailed Albanian mayor uses AI avatar to make deepfake speech
The mayor of Tirana is behind bars but still running the city — with a bit of help from technology.
Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, currently incarcerated, has sparked controversy with a video pledge of free school lunches for all the city's children. The video features a blue-suited figure presenting heartfelt promises while listing Veliaj's past achievements and reiterating his commitment to providing food in schools. "I made another commitment that I will never forget: food in schools," the AI-generated Veliaj states.
Veliaj has been imprisoned since early 2025 on corruption and financial crime allegations, which he denies. "My hostage situation has been going on for 20 months, and I can only greet you with artificial intelligence," the avatar declares. Despite being in prison, Veliaj has delegated duties to deputy mayors and remains the official mayor until municipal elections in 2027.
This isn't the first instance of AI being used by imprisoned politicians; in 2023, Imran Khan of Pakistan used an AI deepfake during elections, and in July, an AI avatar of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro appeared at his son's presidential campaign launch. Albanian officials have previously used AI provocatively, with Prime Minister Edi Rama introducing an AI virtual minister named Diella in 2025.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
