Court Rules AI Deepfakes Violate Personality Rights

Raising alarm over the “sophisticated and deceptive” nature of AI-generated deepfakes, Justice Arif S. Doctor of the Bombay High Court has cautioned that it is becoming “virtually impossible” to distinguish fabricated content from authentic visuals. His remarks came while hearing a petition filed by actor Akshay Kumar, who sought legal protection against the unauthorized use of his likeness in AI-created videos—one of which portrayed him making offensive comments about Maharishi Valmiki.

“The deepfake video of the Plaintiff making communally inflammatory statements is deeply concerning,” Justice Doctor said. “Such content not only violates the Plaintiff’s moral and personality rights but poses a grave threat to social order.” He noted that deepfakes can provoke communal tensions, compromise public safety, and cause irreparable harm to a person’s reputation.

A Fight to Protect Digital Identity

Kumar’s lawsuit seeks a permanent and mandatory John Doe injunction against unidentified individuals, websites, and social media platforms to prevent misuse of his name, image, voice, and persona. The petition highlights widespread abuse of his identity in AI-generated content, counterfeit merchandise, misleading ads, and fake endorsements across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X, and multiple e-commerce sites. His legal team argued that such exploitation violates his commercial and constitutional rights.

Court’s Intervention Marks a Legal Turning Point

On October 15, the court granted ex-parte interim relief and ordered immediate removal of the deepfake videos, citing the “potential for irreversible harm” to both Kumar and the public. Legal experts say the ruling is one of India’s earliest judicial acknowledgments of the dangers posed by synthetic media, signaling a crucial shift in how courts approach privacy, identity, and digital authenticity.

A Precedent for the AI Era

Observers believe this judgment will help shape emerging legal norms around personality rights as deepfake technology becomes more accessible and more dangerous. “The issue is no longer limited to celebrity misuse—it’s about safeguarding the very integrity of truth,” a Mumbai-based scholar noted.

For Kumar and many others confronting the rise of synthetic media, the challenge ahead extends beyond copyright and consent. It is now a struggle to reclaim personal identity in an increasingly algorithm-driven world.