'I am a normal human being': Khawaja Asif brushes off online trolling over AI-generated Marilyn Monroe riddle

On Friday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed online trolls who mocked him for responding to an AI-generated riddle featuring the Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe on the social media platform X. The defence minister and PML-N veteran replied to an AI-generated image of Monroe, which asked users to identify the item that did not belong in the 1950s era image.

Asif shared the post, pointing out that Monroe was depicted wearing a smartwatch. The original post has since been removed. Netizens questioned the propriety of Asif's post, and Indian media published articles on his online activities. During an appearance on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, Asif was asked if he operated his X account himself.

He confirmed that he does, stating that he has a personal life and a normal life, emphasizing that he is a normal human being with no special status. Asif clarified that he had no pretences, as the riddle asked about an anachronistic element in the image, which was the smartwatch. He argued that there was nothing non-serious about his response, questioning why he should abandon his identity as the defence minister due to the post being perceived as trivial.