Bachchans move court against AI deepfakes, target YouTube in landmark case

Aishwarya Bachchan

Bollywood actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of their voice, image, and persona from misuse in artificial intelligence generated content. The couple has specifically targeted Google’s YouTube, urging the court to direct the platform to take down infringing AI videos and introduce safeguards to prevent such content from being used to train other AI models.

According to legal filings reviewed by Reuters, the Bachchans allege that misleading AI-generated content, some of it sexually explicit. damages their dignity, reputation, and financial interests. They are seeking $450,000 in damages from Google and others, as well as a permanent injunction against unauthorised exploitation of their personality rights.

The lawsuits, spanning 1,500 pages, list 518 links and posts showing manipulated content, including fabricated scenes of the actors with Salman Khan, Aishwarya’s former partner. The court has already ordered the removal of the specified links, noting they caused “financial harm and injury to dignity.”

India does not yet have explicit laws protecting celebrity personality rights, unlike some U.S. states. However, Bollywood stars have begun testing the boundaries of such claims. Last year, actor Anil Kapoor won a court order restraining misuse of his image, voice, and catchphrases.

Legal experts say the Bachchans’ case could set a precedent. “While YouTube may argue it is not directly responsible, courts could nudge platforms to tweak policies or create fast-track redressal for celebrity claims,” said Eashan Ghosh, professor of intellectual property law at NLU Delhi.

With nearly 600 million users, India is YouTube’s largest market, making the case particularly significant. YouTube’s policy allows creators to share their videos for training by other AI platforms such as OpenAI and Meta. The Bachchans argue this risks multiplying the spread of harmful content.

Meanwhile, channels like AI Bollywood Ishq continue to churn out AI-generated clips featuring Bollywood stars, with millions of views. The Bachchans warn such unchecked content risks normalising deepfakes and distorting public perception.

The High Court has sought Google’s written response by January 15.