How AI avatars help inform Venezuelans and resist censorship

“Hi, I’m La Chama,” said a woman with long hair and an orange dress facing the camera in a video. “And I’m El Pana,” continues a man with a beard and plaid shirt. “We will be sharing information about everything that is happening in Venezuela,” continued the two presenters with slight Venezuelan accents.

At first, they look like two young journalists presenting news like thousands of others on social media. But if you really pay attention, you will maybe notice their repetitive cadence and robotic movements. “Before continuing, we want to tell you something,” continued the presenters. “We’re not real. We were created by AI, but our content is real, verified, high-quality, and created by journalists.” 

This is how “La Chama” and “El Pana” introduced themselves at the beginning of every video. These two AI avatars are the faces of Operación Retuit, an initiative launched last summer after the controversial victory of Nicolas Maduro in the Venezuelan presidential elections. 

The opposition accuses Maduro of fraud during the elections, which led to major demonstrations across the country and very strong repression by the Maduro regime on political opponents and journalists. Numerous arrests of journalists took place, some of them accused of terrorism, and others have been fired from the state channel VTV. Operación Retuit was then launched to provide verified, rigorous, and quality information while avoiding persecution. 

AI as a tool to protect press freedom

“This is a unique and strategic operation to inform,” explained Carlos Eduardo Huertas, director of Connectas, a journalism organisation based in Colombia, which is behind this initiative. “It’s really a unique collaboration in the region and an example of finding intelligently a way to articulate with technology. It also shows how brave journalism is and that they do not allow themselves to be intimidated.”

Fifteen short videos have been published in Spanish since August. They are also now available in English. The two AI avatars rely on the work of 20 independent media and 100 journalists across Venezuela. Huertas recalled that most of the media that make up Operación Retuit have been or are blocked within Venezuela.

Spreading these videos on social media allowed them to widely disseminate information. “It’s a dissemination strategy, which does not have a centralised channel but seeks the largest number of channels possible,” said Huertas. The appearance of the two AI presenters was decided through a collaborative voting process.

A deteriorating press freedom situation

“Unfortunately, the conditions of journalism in Venezuela continue to be alarming,” said Daniela Alvarado Mejias, press freedom coordinator at IPYS Venezuela, an NGO that’s monitoring freedom of expression and the right to access news in the country. “Journalists face daily intimidation, criminalisation, and arbitrary detentions as ways of silencing the exercise of their work. In addition, the Venezuelan media ecosystem has been reduced by the blocking of news websites and the closure of radio stations.”

Venezuela ranks 156th out of 180 in the annual press freedom rankings made by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The two virtual presenters were also a way to draw attention to a situation that has continued to worsen in recent years. “The impact on the audience was gigantic, inside Venezuela but especially outside. It really had a lot of impact because it helped draw attention to what is happening in Venezuela and the way journalism has to be practiced,” said Huertas.

Thanks to its characters, many sensitive subjects could be discussed freely and independently. They, for example, wonder why the government figures of arrests look bigger than the reality, explaining that “human rights defenders say it’s a way to intimidate Venezuelans so they don’t continue to protest,” or discuss Maduro’s order to block the social media X for 10 days, claiming that there was “a cyber coup against Venezuela.”

An example to respond to censorship?

The hundred journalists who participate in this initiative agreed to stop signing the notes they write and not appear in videos on social media to protect their security. They also have the freedom to share or not share the videos of La Chama and El Pana.

“This is a great example of the ingenuity and resilience of the media ecosystem in Venezuela, because La Chama and El Pana not only represent an alternative, but it’s also a demonstration of how technology can be used strategically to protect freedom of expression,” explained Mejias. “This makes it a very important tool to circumvent censorship because it guarantees the flow of information of public interest to citizens, even expanding its reach, and it is also a way to guarantee the continuity of journalistic work committed to the ethical standards of the profession.”

Huertas said it has since received interest from several other organisations around the world to implement such a model, particularly from Asia. The organisation is now working on a second season of La Chama and El Pana.

Source of the cover photo: rawpixel.com via CC0 photo

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