“Artificial intelligence should amplify human dignity, not imitate it.” - Fei-Fei Li, AI scientist, Stanford University
Rise of legal protection for celebrity identity
The Delhi High Court took some decisive steps in 2025 to protect the personality rights of Bollywood celebrities from AI-generated misuse. The court granted relief to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan after their images and voices were replicated using synthetic media. Similar protections were earlier extended to Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff, setting a strong precedent for digital identity rights.
Understanding personality rights
Personality rights protect an individual’s name, image, likeness, voice, and other distinctive traits from unauthorised use, especially for commercial gain. In India, such rights stem from intellectual property and privacy laws, including the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Trade Marks Act, 1999. These laws give individuals the authority to prevent their likeness from being exploited for profit without consent.
AI misuse and judicial action
AI-driven impersonations have made it easier to replicate celebrity personas in advertisements, social media, and entertainment content. Courts have begun treating such deepfakes as violations of both privacy and intellectual property. The judiciary is now evolving legal reasoning to counter these new-age infringements and to ensure fair remedies.
Balancing innovation and free expression
Legal experts caution that overprotecting celebrity rights might clash with creative freedom. Courts must balance privacy with public interest, ensuring that artistic parody or commentary is not stifled. The key lies in distinguishing legitimate creativity from exploitative imitation enabled by generative AI tools.
The way forward
India currently lacks a specific statute for personality rights in the AI era. Experts call for comprehensive legislation to define consent, liability, and fair use boundaries. As generative technology expands, protecting identity integrity while encouraging innovation will remain the judiciary’s central challenge.
Summary
Indian courts are strengthening safeguards for celebrity identity in response to AI-generated misuse. The legal system now recognises voice, likeness, and image as protected assets, balancing commercial fairness with freedom of expression. However, a dedicated law remains necessary to define and enforce these rights in the age of synthetic media.
Food for thought
If AI can convincingly mimic any person, who truly owns the boundary between creation and imitation?AI concept to learn: Deepfake
A deepfake is synthetic media generated using AI that replaces one person’s likeness or voice with another’s. These models use machine learning to create realistic manipulations, raising serious concerns about authenticity, consent, and identity in digital communication.
[The Billion Hopes Research Team shares the latest AI updates for learning and awareness. This is not a professional, financial, personal or medical advice. Please consult domain experts before making decisions. Feedback welcome!]
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