Samantha Ruth Prabhu Moves Court Over AI Deepfakes and Voice Misuse

The Bombay High Court has issued interim directions concerning the unauthorised use of actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu's name, photographs and voice in AI-generated and other digital content. The order came in response to a petition filed by Samantha seeking protection of her personality rights.

Samantha approached the court alleging that her identity and personal attributes were being used without permission across AI platforms, e-commerce websites and digital media outlets. Her plea raised concerns over the unauthorised use of her name, image and voice and the potential impact on her reputation and commercial interests.

The court has directed the removal of unauthorised content relating to the actress and issued interim protection against the unauthorised use of her name, photographs and voice. The development comes amid a growing number of cases in Indian courts involving AI-generated deepfakes, manipulated photographs and other digital representations of public figures. Recent Bombay High Court proceedings involving actress Shruti Haasan have also dealt with alleged AI-morphed and deepfake material and personality rights.

In her petition, Samantha reportedly submitted that although her business and goodwill are based in Mumbai, her professional and commercial activities extend beyond the court's local territorial jurisdiction. She sought legal protection against the unauthorised exploitation of aspects of her persona.

Personality-rights cases involving celebrities have increasingly addressed the use of artificial intelligence, deepfakes, face morphing and digitally generated voices. Courts have considered such unauthorised uses in the context of personality, publicity, privacy and related rights.

The Bombay High Court has scheduled the next hearing in Samantha's case for December 10. Further directions are expected as the proceedings continue.

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