BANGKOK—Thailand on Wednesday posted an AI-generated video of its prime minister speaking in Mandarin encouraging Chinese tourists to visit the kingdom despite reports of kidnappings on the Thai-Myanmar border.
In the clip made by generative artificial intelligence posted to the government’s Facebook page, a likeness of Paetongtarn Shinawatra appears speaking in fluent Mandarin, a language she does not speak in real life.
“I understand that recent reports of Chinese nationals being lured to scam compounds around Thailand’s borders have triggered concerns among Chinese tourists… Thailand’s government puts the safety of all tourists as its utmost priority,” the AI Paetongtarn says.
Thailand has been seeking to quell safety concerns among potential Chinese tourists ahead of the Lunar New Year travel period as fears have mounted over reported kidnappings on the Thai-Myanmar border.
Scam compounds have mushroomed in Myanmar’s borderlands and are staffed by foreigners who are often trafficked and forced to work, swindling their compatriots in an industry analysts say is worth billions of dollars.
Concerns were raised after reports that a couple of rising Chinese stars were allegedly trafficked into cyber-fraud centers in Myanmar from Thailand earlier this month, fueling fears on Chinese social media with netizens saying Thailand was a “dangerous” place.
The Thai government was boosting safety measures and combatting transnational crime, Paetongtarn’s AI image said in the video.
The PM’s video likeness—whose hands appear mutated at moments—emphasized at the start of the clip that it had been made with AI.
China remained at the top of Thailand’s tourist numbers list in the first two weeks of January, comprising almost a sixth of the 1.3 million arrivals.
The Thai government anticipates a further 7 percent rise in Chinese tourists during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday period, which is expected to add 8.8 billion baht (US$255 million) to the kingdom’s income.
