Mumbai, 31 July

Granting relief to composer-singer Arijit Singh, the Bombay High Court has said AI tools generating content using a celebrity's voice, image or other attributes without consent violate his or her "personality rights".

Celebrities are particularly vulnerable to unauthorised generation of content through AI tools, the court said. Hearing a petition filed by the famous singer, Justice RI Chagla in his interim order on 26 July restrained eight online platforms from using Singh's "personality rights", and directed them to remove all such content and also voice conversion tools.

The singer had moved the court claiming that these platforms provide AI tools to synthesize artificial sound recordings by mimicking his voice, mannerisms and other attributes.

Arijit Singh has consciously refrained from any kind of brand endorsement or gross commercialization of his personality traits for the past several years, his lawyer Hiren Kamod said. The high court agreed that Singh should be given interim relief. "What shocks the conscience of this court is the manner in which celebrities, particularly performers such as the present plaintiff are vulnerable to being targeted by unauthorized generative AI content," the judge said.

The freedom of speech and expression allows for critique and commentary but does not grant the license to exploit a celebrity's persona for commercial gain, Justice Chagla said. “Making AI tools available that enable the conversion of any voice into that of a celebrity without his/her permission constitutes a violation of the celebrity's personality rights," it added.

Such tools facilitate “unauthorized appropriation and manipulation” of a celebrity's voice, a key component of their personal identity, Justice Chagla said.

Further, such use of the AI technology also undermines celebrities’ ability to prevent “deceptive uses of their identity,” the HC said.

Such platforms are emboldening Internet users to create counterfeit sound recordings and videos, it observed.

Singh has gained immense goodwill and reputation over the course of a very successful career, the judge noted. "Prima facie, I am of the view that the plaintiff's personality traits including his name, voice, photograph/ caricature, image, likeness, persona and other attributes of his personality are protectable elements of his personality rights," Justice Chagla said.

Advocate Kamod told the court that Arijit Singh hails from a small town and has humble beginnings, and now he is one of the most celebrated singers in the world.

The petition, filed through Legasis Partners, sought protection of his personality rights with regard to his name, voice, signatures, photograph, image, caricature, likeness, persona, and various other attributes of his personality against unauthorized/unlicensed commercial exploitation and misuse.

Several YouTube channels were creating memes and GIFs "causing ridicule, embarrassment and humiliation" and affecting the singer's reputation, it said.