Are Biya’s Recent Social Media Outings AI-Generated?

Cameroon’s “absent” president, Paul Biya, has recently kick-started a social media campaign to reconnect with people by making regular reflections on issues facing the country, but some Cameroonians think these social media posts are AI-generated.

For the past month, the 92-year-old has been posting daily on social platforms—Facebook and X.

He focusses most of his messages on important issues affecting Cameroonians, such as hate speech, tribalism, regionalism, and poor governance.

In some of the messages, he acknowledges the contributions of civil society to a better Cameroon.

However, issues such as tribalism, regionalism, unemployment, and hate speech—issues that he has been denouncing—are the same ones that critics claim his regime has failed to address for 42 years.

AI Generated?

Recently, some Cameroonians, who have been observing the pattern of his messages, think the president is using ChatGPT to generate them.

Those who share this opinion think that President Biya’s outings do not reflect the nature of his traditional speeches.

One of the recent posts from Biya’s social media handles reads: “Our mission is to achieve the holistic wellbeing of each citizen, irrespective of where they reside or work, without bias.”

He posted this message three days ago.

In the comment section, the reactions say otherwise.
“President Paul Biya, this is purely untrue, your Excellency, Sir. In fact, this post is AI-generated for content and campaign purposes, and you don’t mean any of these words.” says Dr Success Nkongho.

While some described the president as a “motivational speaker” and some “our newest blogger”, others, like Facebook user Bal Bah, simply regarded Biya’s message as a “very big lie”.

Many Cameroonians, mostly young people, say they are not connecting with the barrage of messages he has been feeding his online followers.

According to a Facebook user named Ngu Mallex, Cameroonians would rejoice if President Biya were announcing his resignation.

“What we want now is change. If you really love Cameroonians, take your rest and let us experience what it feels like under a different leader. You have done your best; please rest,” he commented.

Others simply wish for a president like Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso.

The 35-year-old has gained the admiration of many Africans, including Cameroonians, since he seized power through a 2022 coup.

“Our only mission now is mission Burkina Faso. We have no time to devote to Cameroon. When we finish there, we will look into this your mission, Sir,” Nta Tambe commented on one of President Paul Biya’s posts on Facebook.

Campaign Messages?

Biya’s pattern of campaigning to Cameroonians has remained the same since he became president in 1982.

Before the 2018 presidential elections, President Paul Biya began posting reflections on various issues.

But when he won the election, he stopped posting these reflections and only shared decrees and audiences with important personalities on his social media handles.

With less than six months until the presidential election, Paul Biya has adopted a new approach to social media, occasionally addressing issues that critics have raised about his administration.

For some observers, it is a subtle way of signalling his presence and readiness for another mandate come October.

Paul Biya, at 92, stands as one of the oldest elected leaders in the world and ranks as the second longest-serving president, following Equatorial Guinea’s president.

Biya’s party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), is urging him to stand for the upcoming polls.

Yet he is undecided now. If he does stand for the October election and wins, he would be 99 years old by the time his mandate expires in 2032.