New Delhi: Bollywood actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have filed a high-profile legal challenge seeking stronger protections against AI-generated deepfake videos on YouTube, while also demanding accountability from Google over its content and AI training policies.
According to court filings reviewed by Reuters, the couple asked a Delhi judge to prohibit the creation and circulation of AI videos infringing on their personality rights and intellectual property. They also urged the court to ensure that such content, once uploaded to YouTube, cannot be used to train other AI platforms.
The petitions highlight growing concerns over misleading content online, with the Bachchans arguing that YouTube’s data-sharing policies allow creators to opt in for AI training, thereby risking further spread of defamatory or fabricated material. The actors stressed that such videos not only damage their public image but also infringe upon their legal rights.
The lawsuits, filed on September 6, run to nearly 1,500 pages and seek $450,000 in damages alongside a permanent injunction. They include hundreds of screenshots and links to videos alleged to be “egregious” or “sexually explicit,” including AI-generated clips depicting the stars in fictional or compromising scenarios.
Earlier this month, the court ordered 518 such links to be taken down, citing harm to the couple’s reputation and financial interests. Despite this, Reuters found similar deepfake content still available online, including AI-manipulated videos featuring Abhishek and Aishwarya with co-star Salman Khan.
India has no explicit law covering personality rights, though several Bollywood celebrities have increasingly turned to courts to block unauthorized use of their names, voices, or likenesses. In 2023, actor Anil Kapoor won an injunction against AI misuse of his image and signature catchphrases.
Legal experts say the Bachchans’ case could push the judiciary to pressure YouTube into amending its user policies or offering expedited redress mechanisms for celebrities. “It wouldn’t be beyond the pale for the court to nudge YouTube into setting up quicker response systems for such cases,” said Eashan Ghosh, an intellectual property rights scholar at National Law University Delhi.
YouTube, with more than 600 million users in India, remains the platform’s largest market globally. While it disclosed paying Indian creators over $2.4 billion in the past three years, critics note that channels generating deepfake content also profit from views and ad revenue.
The Bachchans’ move underscores the mounting tension between celebrity rights, AI innovation, and platform accountability, as India grapples with the rise of generative AI content in entertainment.
