In a digital era where artificial intelligence can conjure up anything from faux paintings to hyper-realistic videos, the boundaries of privacy and celebrity rights are being tested in unprecedented ways. Nowhere is this more evident than in the ongoing legal saga involving Bollywood’s eminent couple, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, who have taken a bold stand against YouTube and its parent company, Google, over the proliferation of AI-generated deepfake videos that misuse their images, voices, and personas.
The couple’s legal battle, which began with a petition filed on September 6, 2025, in the Delhi High Court, is both sweeping and meticulous. According to Reuters and the Economic Times, the Bachchans are seeking Rs 4 crore (roughly $450,000) in damages and a permanent injunction to prevent any further exploitation of their identities. Their filing, an exhaustive document spanning approximately 1,500 pages, includes hundreds of links and screenshots. These serve as evidence of what the actors describe as “egregious” and “sexually explicit” AI-generated content circulating on YouTube.
What’s at stake here isn’t just the couple’s reputation—though that’s certainly a central concern—but also their fundamental rights to privacy and control over their own images. Among the manipulated videos cited in the lawsuit are clips digitally altering Abhishek Bachchan to depict him kissing another actress, and others where Aishwarya Rai appears in romantic scenarios with her former co-star Salman Khan, with Abhishek portrayed as an angry bystander. One widely circulated video even places Aishwarya and Salman in a swimming pool together, amassing over 4.1 million views, as reported by the Economic Times.
Digging deeper, the lawsuit highlights a YouTube channel called “AI Bollywood Ishq,” which boasts more than 259 AI-generated videos themed around Bollywood “love stories.” Collectively, these videos have garnered upwards of 16.5 million views. The scale of such content, the Bachchans argue, is not only damaging to their personal and professional reputations but also sets a dangerous precedent for the misuse of AI in the entertainment industry and beyond.
The couple’s concerns extend beyond just the immediate impact of these videos. Their petition raises a red flag about YouTube’s content and third-party AI training policies, which, according to the filings, allow users to consent to sharing videos they create for training rival AI models. The risk here, as outlined in their court documents, is that “such content being used to train AI models has the potential to multiply the instances of use of any infringing content, i.e. first being uploaded on YouTube, being viewed by the public, and then also being used to train.” In other words, once these manipulated videos are out in the wild, they can be replicated and mutated across platforms, making containment nearly impossible.
“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, leading to its further spread,” the couple’s filings state, as reported by Reuters and Hindustan Times. The threat isn’t just reputational; it’s existential for public figures whose livelihoods depend on the careful management of their public images.
But the issue doesn’t stop at videos. The Bachchans’ lawsuit also targets unauthorized merchandise featuring their likenesses—everything from posters and mugs to stickers and fake autographed photographs. These items, often sold online without their consent, further infringe on their personality and publicity rights. The couple’s legal action seeks to halt not only the distribution of such merchandise but also the broader exploitation of their identities for commercial gain.
The Delhi High Court, recognizing the gravity of the situation, has taken swift action. The court has issued a notice to Google, requiring its legal team to submit written responses to the allegations. Additionally, early September court orders mandated the takedown of 518 specific links listed by the actors, citing the financial harm and reputational damage caused by these deepfakes. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 15, 2026, and until then, an injunction remains in place to protect Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s personality rights from further exploitation through AI or digital manipulation.
This isn’t the first time the couple has sought legal redress over AI-generated content. In earlier petitions filed individually—Abhishek Bachchan on September 10, 2025, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on September 9, 2025—both actors requested protection of their publicity and personality rights. They specifically asked the court to prevent websites and online platforms from using their images, personas, and fake videos, particularly those of a sexual nature. The court granted relief in these earlier cases, setting a precedent that’s now being tested on a much larger scale.
While the Bachchans’ battle is the latest—and perhaps the most high-profile—case of its kind, it’s part of a growing trend. Indian courts have already demonstrated a willingness to shield celebrities from AI-enabled exploitation. In 2023, a Delhi court restrained the use of veteran actor Anil Kapoor’s image and voice in AI-generated content. The Bachchans, however, are pushing the envelope further by seeking not just takedowns but also long-term safeguards and significant financial compensation.
The couple’s argument is rooted in a broader concern that goes beyond their own fame. They contend that allowing such manipulated content to remain online, or to be used for AI training, opens the floodgates for similar abuses against other public figures—actors, politicians, and ordinary citizens alike. Their case, therefore, is as much about setting a legal precedent as it is about personal vindication.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the entertainment industry and digital platforms alike are watching closely. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for how AI-generated content is regulated, how platforms like YouTube handle takedown requests, and how the rights of individuals are balanced against the freedoms of content creators and technologists.
For now, the Bachchans’ fight continues, with the next chapter set to play out in the Delhi High Court early next year. The case is a stark reminder that in the age of AI, the line between fiction and reality is blurrier than ever—and the battle to protect one’s identity is only just beginning.
