Actor Preity Zinta has sought interim relief from the Bombay High Court in the case of using her faces to create AI videos, Facebook morphed images and make fake videos without her consent.
In the hearing, the Bombay High Court said that propaganda use of artificial intelligence in producing fabricated content may infringe upon the personality rights and publicity rights of one’s life and fundamental right to live in a decent manner. It said that the wrongful use of the “l likeness and image of a public figure could have devastating effects on his or her reputation and public trust.
Highlighting the role and role of social media platforms, the High Court has emphasized on their proactive steps to prevent a misuse of their platforms, looking at the obligations under the Information Technology Rules. The court stated that the citizens’ rights would be better protected if such content is removed with speed, and would deter repeat offence.
Preity Zinta’s defense lawyers told court that there are several hundred links on the web that allegedly used an AI and manipulation to create and distribute images and videos of the actor that falsely “reported his name.” The court ordered for online platforms to take down the content identified as a prima facie case.
But the court said it would let companies including Meta and Google file legal challenges for a future grievance over legitimate or legally-published material. Under these conditions, the actor is given the liberty to request further directions from High court.
The order comes as a landmark measure in the battle against the rise of AI-generated deepfakes and protecting people from the misuse of their images in the digital realm.