Manoj Bajpayee moves Delhi High Court over AI misuse of voice and image

Actor Manoj Bajpayee has moved the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights, flagging the unauthorised use of his photographs, voice and other identifiable aspects of his persona. The petition was filed on Monday and came up before Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav. Senior Advocate Swathi Sukumar appeared for the actor.

The plea concerns the commercial exploitation of Bajpayee's photographs as well as the use of artificial intelligence to recreate his voice and elements associated with his personality. One of the entities named in the proceedings is H2PG Designs Private Limited, which the actor alleges used his photographs in a way that implied he was wearing suits made by the brand. Another defendant is accused of deploying AI technology to reproduce his voice. Bajpayee has also sought protection against AI chatbots that may draw on identifiable aspects of his personality.

During the hearing, the court turned to the question of jurisdiction, with Justice Kaurav asking why the matter had been brought before the Delhi High Court when the actor is primarily based in Mumbai. Sukumar submitted that some of the defendants are located in Delhi, giving the court a basis to exercise jurisdiction.

The judge also reflected on how personality rights disputes could be handled more efficiently, particularly where defendants appear not to contest the proceedings. Justice Kaurav observed that there would be no point in burdening the court if such matters could routinely be dealt with by the Registrar instead of requiring a full hearing.

The court directed Bajpayee's counsel to compile interim and final orders from earlier personality rights cases and to place on record how similar matters have been treated by other High Courts.

The Delhi High Court has previously granted protection in personality rights petitions brought by a range of public figures, including actors Tabu, Allu Arjun, Mohanlal, Kajol, R Madhavan and Jr NTR, cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Sunil Gavaskar, and singer Jubin Nautiyal. Proceedings have also involved figures such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Nagarjuna, Karan Johar and Salman Khan.

Bajpayee's petition adds to a growing set of legal questions around the use of artificial intelligence to replicate the voices, images and identities of well-known individuals. The court's consideration of the plea will determine the next steps in the matter.