Deepfakes, voice clones: Celebrities fight AI threat

Experts say India's legal framework is inadequate to stop the complexity of AI infringements

- Lata Jha

AI tools can generate highly convincing deepfake videos and voice clones, making it difficult to trace and remove them, especially across multiple platforms.

(ISTOCKPHOTO)

While the likes of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Karan Johar move court to protect their personality rights-including their name, image and signature-experts say artificial intelligence (AI) is making it increasingly difficult to detect and prevent such violations.

AI tools can generate highly convincing deepfake videos and voice clones, making it difficult to trace and remove them, especially across multiple platforms. Personality rights violations hurt celebrities not just financially but also in terms of brand equity. Fake endorsements and unauthorized merchandise can wipe out licensing fees and royalties worth crores. The counterfeit goods market is estimated to be ₹40,000 crore.

The reputational damage can be even more severe. Pornographic deepfakes or morphed content inflict irreparable harm, erode brand exclusivity and can slash future endorsement fees by 20-30%. Top Bollywood actors charge anywhere from ₹5 crore to ₹10 crore per endorsement.