Bollywood super couple sues Google over AI-generated deepfakes

Bollywood power couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have filed a legal petition asking Indian courts to protect their “personality rights” and prevent AI-generated content that uses their likenesses. The case specifically targets YouTube’s parent company Google, demanding safeguards to prevent their images from being used to train AI models, potentially setting a significant precedent for celebrity image rights in the AI era.

What you should know: The actors are challenging YouTube’s policy that allows certain videos to be used as training material for third-party AI generation models.
• They argue this practice contributes to the spread of false information when it includes misleading or deepfake content featuring their likenesses.
• The legal filing asks courts to block the creation of AI videos that violate their image rights while also requiring Google to implement protective safeguards.

Why this matters: This case could establish important legal precedent for how courts worldwide recognize and address AI misuse of celebrity images.
• India lacks the explicitly uniform intellectual property rights found in the United States, but Indian courts have consistently ruled in favor of stars alleging such violations.
• The outcome may influence global approaches to protecting public figures from unauthorized AI-generated content.

The big picture: The lawsuit reflects growing concerns about AI models increasingly producing content that bears celebrities’ likenesses without permission.
• As AI generation technology becomes more sophisticated, the ability to create convincing deepfakes and AI-generated content featuring real people has raised significant legal and ethical questions.
• The case highlights the tension between AI development practices and individual rights protection in an era of rapidly advancing generative technology.