Watch: Putin Takes Question from Deepfake Twin at Press Conference

Russian strongman Vladimir Putin took a question from an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated version of himself in one of the more bizarre moments of his traditional year-end press conference on Thursday.

Putin typically holds a multi-hour event with regime-friendly media before the end of every year to advance his regime’s propaganda and allow the leader to define Russia’s political narratives for the upcoming year. Putin’s record currently stands at nearly five hours, but Thursday’s event lasted only a little more than four.

Towards the end of the press conference, Putin took a question from an unnamed “student in St. Petersburg,” who appeared onscreen as Vladimir Putin. Russian television aired a side-by-side of the two Putins talking to each other.