NEW DELHI, 1 Oct — Alarmed by the rise of artificial intelligence–generated videos and their impact on celebrity reputation, Bollywood actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have filed lawsuits against Google, accusing YouTube of hosting manipulated content that infringes on their personality rights. The couple is seeking $450,000 in damages and a permanent injunction, in a legal battle that could have far-reaching consequences for how YouTube handles AI-generated media and consent-based video sharing.
The lawsuits, filed on September 6 and spanning 1,500 pages, detail hundreds of links, screenshots, and examples of what the actors describe as “egregious,” “sexually explicit,” or “fictitious” AI content. The filings also demand safeguards to ensure such videos are not only removed but also barred from being used to train other AI platforms. According to court papers reviewed by Reuters, the Bachchans have argued that YouTube’s current content and third-party training policy enables the further spread of damaging material.
“Such content being used to train AI models has the potential to multiply the instances of use of any infringing content — first being uploaded on YouTube, being viewed by the public, and then also being used to train,” the lawsuits said.
Court orders and pending hearings
Last month, the Delhi High Court ordered 518 website links and posts identified by the couple to be taken down, noting they had caused financial harm and damaged the actors’ “dignity and goodwill.” The judge also directed Google’s legal team to provide written responses before the next scheduled hearing on January 15.
While the initial order offered some relief, infringing content remains online. Reuters found several AI-generated videos resembling those cited in Abhishek’s filing still available on YouTube. Among them: a manipulated scene showing Abhishek kissing a film actress, an AI animation of Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan sharing a meal while Abhishek fumes in the background, and another depicting a crocodile chasing Abhishek as Khan rushes to his aid.
The presence of Khan — who was in a relationship with Aishwarya before her marriage — adds an additional layer of controversy. His spokesperson did not respond to queries.
No clear ‘personality rights’ law in India
The lawsuits underscore a growing push by Indian celebrities to protect their “personality rights” — a term encompassing voice, likeness, image, and persona — at a time when the country lacks explicit legal protections of the kind that exist in several U.S. states. In 2023, a Delhi court barred the misuse of actor Anil Kapoor’s image, voice, and signature catchphrases, in one of the earliest rulings on generative AI misuse in India.
The Bachchans’ challenge, however, is the most high-profile to date, not only targeting little-known merchandise sellers accused of distributing unauthorized posters, coffee mugs, and fake autographed photographs, but also directly confronting YouTube and Google over how their platforms handle manipulated AI media.
Concerns about YouTube policies
At the heart of the actors’ grievance is YouTube’s data-sharing policy, which allows creators to “opt in” to share their videos for training with third-party AI platforms such as OpenAI, Meta, and xAI. The policy states, “We can’t control what a third-party company does” once consent is granted.
The Bachchans warn that this system could allow misleading AI content to proliferate across platforms, reinforcing false narratives. “If AI platforms are trained on biased content that portrays them in a negative manner and infringes their intellectual property rights, then AI models are likely to learn all such untrue information,” the couple said in their filings.
Industry voices and expert views
Legal experts say the case could test the limits of platform responsibility. “It would be difficult for actors to build a direct case against YouTube since their grievances are mostly with creators and personality rights infringement,” said Eashan Ghosh, professor of intellectual property rights at National Law University Delhi. “But it wouldn’t be beyond the pale for the court to nudge YouTube to write something into their user policies or set up a queue jump for celebrity claimants to get quicker responses to legal requests.”
Meanwhile, YouTube continues to emphasize its role in India’s entertainment ecosystem. With nearly 600 million users, the country is its largest market globally. Last month, YouTube’s India managing director Gunjan Soni described the platform as “the new TV for India.” The company disclosed earlier this year that it had paid $2.4 billion to Indian creators over the past three years.
AI-generated Bollywood ‘love stories’
Despite mounting legal battles, AI-generated Bollywood content continues to thrive. Reuters identified a channel called “AI Bollywood Ishq,” which has uploaded 259 AI-driven videos depicting celebrity “love stories.” The channel has amassed 16.5 million views, with its most popular clip — showing an AI-generated Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan in a swimming pool — attracting more than 4 million views.
In another video, the couple is shown on a swing, while separate clips create fictionalized drama between Khan and Abhishek Bachchan. A tutorial video posted by the same channel explained how text prompts were used to create images via X’s Grok AI, then animated with Chinese startup MiniMax’s Hailuo AI. In a test by Reuters, a similar AI-generated Bollywood fight scene was created in under five minutes.
The channel insists its work is harmless. “Content is made only for entertainment and creative storytelling,” the page reads. But the Bachchans argue that such portrayals carry real reputational damage, especially when mixed with sexually explicit or defamatory imagery.
What’s at stake
For Bollywood’s biggest stars, the outcome of the case could set a precedent in India for how personality rights are protected in the age of generative AI. For Google, the lawsuit raises questions about liability when platforms not only host content but also allow it to be shared for training by rival AI developers.
Representatives for the Bachchans and Google did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
As the January hearing approaches, industry watchers say the Delhi High Court’s decision could shape how Indian celebrities — and perhaps global stars — assert control over their digital likeness in an era where AI can create Bollywood love triangles, courtroom disputes, or even action sequences at the click of a prompt.
