Venezuelan news channels have started using AI presenters to stop their journalists from being targeted by Nicolas Maduro’s government.

El Pana, meaning ‘The Friend’, and his colleague La Chana, ‘The Girl’, are two of the newest faces on Venezuelan TV. They look, sound and move much like their real colleagues. But unlike them, they cannot be arrested.

The pair were created by Connectas, a Colombia-based organisation, to allow around a dozen independent media outlets to keep broadcasting critical coverage of the government.

Authorities have been cracking down on journalists and protesters in the wake of the country’s widely disputed election on July 28.

“We decided to use artificial intelligence to be the ‘face’ of the information we’re publishing.” 

Carlos Huertas, director of Connectas, told Reuters. “Because our colleagues who are still out doing their jobs are facing much more risk.”

At least 10 journalists have been arrested since mid-June and eight remain imprisoned on charges including terrorism, according to Reporters Without Borders.

“Here, using artificial intelligence is... almost like a mix between technology and journalism.” 

Mr Huertas said, explaining the project aimed to “circumvent the persecution and increasing repression” from the government towards journalists.

Venezuelan officials have yet to issue a response to the AI initiative.

Mr Maduro has been in power since 2013 and is backed by the Supreme Court and the electoral authority, which have still refused to publish full vote tallies from the July election.

Despite exit polls predicting a landslide victory for the opposition, President Maduro declared he had won another six-year term with 51 per cent of the vote.

However, tallies shared by the opposition show a resounding win for its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez with 67 per cent of the vote.

As part of “Operation Knock Knock”, Mr Maduro’s government has led a violent repression of the protests, leading to 27 deaths and 2,400 arrests, including the detentions of opposition figures.

On Monday, an arrest warrant was issued for opposition leader Mr Gonzalez.

Western countries, including the UK, have said the election conditions were unfair, demanded the full tallies be released and criticised the government’s repression of the protestors.