Bollywood vs AI: Bollywood stars seek court protection from AI-generated deepfakes
Bollywood stars Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have sued Google’s YouTube over AI-generated deepfake videos infringing their personality rights, seeking takedowns, damages, and safeguards against misuse, marking India’s most high-profile legal battle on celebrity rights in the AI era.
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Bollywood actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have filed high-profile lawsuits against Google’s YouTube, demanding the removal of AI-generated videos that infringe on their likeness and voice, while also urging the platform to implement safeguards preventing such content from training other AI models.
The Delhi High Court filings, dated September 6, allege that multiple YouTube videos portray the couple in fictitious, sexually explicit, or misleading scenarios, including AI-generated clips showing Abhishek in staged fights or romantic scenes involving Aishwarya and other actors.
The Bachchans claim these videos not only harm their reputation and dignity but also generate revenue for creators under YouTube’s data-sharing policies.
The actors are seeking $450,000 in damages and a permanent injunction against the creation and circulation of such content. In early September, the court ordered the takedown of 518 specific website links and posts, citing financial and reputational harm.
Reuters reported that at the core of the case is the risk posed by AI to celebrity personality rights. The Bachchans argue that AI systems trained on misleading content could amplify false portrayals, spreading them widely and potentially normalizing them in other AI-generated outputs.
As per a report by Reuters, legal experts note that while Indian law does not yet provide explicit personality rights protection like some U.S. states, courts may encourage platforms like YouTube to adapt user policies and implement faster takedown procedures for high-profile claimants.
The case highlights broader challenges in the era of generative AI, as platforms allow creators to opt in to share videos for training other AI models, raising concerns about inadvertent copyright or likeness infringement. Channels like “AI Bollywood Ishq” have already gained millions of views for AI-generated love stories featuring lookalikes of Bollywood stars, demonstrating how quickly such content can spread.
YouTube India, which claims 600 million users, did not respond to Reuters queries, while the Bachchans’ representatives also remained unavailable. Legal analysts suggest the case could set a precedent for protecting celebrity likenesses and controlling AI-driven misrepresentations in India.
