Srijan Bhattacharya, a Left candidate from Jadavpur, stated, “We are going to use this AI anchor for election campaigns as we are always up for something new which is not harmful.”
Meanwhile, BJP’s Tathagata Roy criticized the move, highlighting the irony of CPIM embracing technology, who had initially opposed computer education in the 1980s.
Responding to Roy’s criticism, Bhattacharya clarified, “CPIM was never against the implementation of computers. But, the way it was supposed to be implemented could have led to mass joblessness, which CPIM did not want. It does not matter what Tathagata Roy thinks.”
CPIM has recently announced 21 candidates for the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has earlier announced that the Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases in the state, with voting scheduled from April 19 to June 1.
Stealing an ‘e-march’ over its political opponents in Bengal, CPM has started using Artificial Intelligence to prepare bulletins aimed at spreading the party’s propaganda for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Its anchor, AI-driven Samata, garnered 3.5k reviews within 12 hours of its launch. For a party that had historically opposed computerization in the state, the transition has been explained as a necessity to “establish the truth at a time when fake news seems to be a potent weapon during elections”.Since Monday, Samata has been seen on CPM’s Facebook and YouTube channels, her first interaction lasting 27 seconds. The broadcast, titled ‘Focus on Bengal’, will see the AI host appear twice weekly. While initially the news will be produced in English, it would soon be used in Hindi too.“CPM produces two news bulletins weekly. But these bulletins are in Bengali and meant for Bengal. But many people outside Bengal want to know about the state, and that’s why a news bulletin called ‘Focus on Bengal’ is being produced in Hindi and English,” said a member of Left’s IT cell.
Senior CPIM leader Samik Lahiri — who is part of the core group that has launched the project — said the AI anchor will stress on presenting the truth from the ground. “It is not to spread fake news. We have seen BJP in the past — in the national arena — using AI to distort information,” he said.
Trinamool, though, took a dig at Left over its move. “This kind of talk does not fit CPM. Those who shut down the computer, those who stopped teaching English till Class VI are today taking such decisions.” said TMC MP and spokesperson Santanu Sen.