Link: Dead relatives give politicians AI endorsements in India

Last month, movie star-turned-politician Vijay Vasanth was campaigning in an open jeep under an unforgiving sun in the sleepy fishing town of Kanniyakumari, the southernmost tip of the Indian mainland. It’s classic electoral campaigning. And it’s hard work. But in a hyper-wired world, it’s no longer considered enough. Vasanth’s campaign manager, a young man in his 20s, pulled out his phone to show me a video in which a gentleman in a crisp white kurta and neatly folded scarf leans back against a tall chair. He is H. Vasanth Kumar — the candidate’s father, a local businessman, and the previous parliamentary representative of this constituency. Except Kumar is no longer alive. He died from Covid-19 four years ago. #

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Yoooo, this is a quick note on a link that made me go, WTF? Find all past links here.