NEW DELHI: Hundreds of AI generated Bollywood videos with over 16 million views have been removed from YouTube after a Reuters investigation revealed that the clips were similar to those involved in a legal case filed by actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
The Bollywood couple recently approached a New Delhi court, demanding the removal and ban of AI-created videos that misused their images and likeness, claiming violations of their intellectual property rights. Their lawsuit also questions YouTube’s AI training policies, alleging that the platform allows synthetic content that damages celebrity reputations.
Following the report, YouTube confirmed that the channel flagged by Reuters titled “AI Bollywood Ishq” had been deleted by its creator, and all 259 videos are no longer available. The channel had featured AI generated clips of Bollywood stars in romantic or sexually suggestive scenes, some showing fabricated visuals of actors kissing or romancing their lookalikes. One viral video, viewed over 4.1 million times, depicted Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai in a swimming pool a nod to their past relationship.
YouTube told Reuters that it prohibits misleading and doctored content, adding that it regularly removes videos that violate its misinformation and manipulation policies. However, the platform did not elaborate further on the deleted account.
Despite the massive cleanup, several similar AI-edited videos remain online, including one showing Abhishek Bachchan kissing an actress through digital manipulation and another featuring an AI recreation of Aishwarya dining with Salman Khan while Abhishek looks angry.
With nearly 600 million users, India is YouTube’s largest global market, making it a hotbed for entertainment and AI-generated Bollywood content. The Bachchan couple has also demanded $450,000 in damages from Google and smaller websites accused of selling unauthorised merchandise using their images.
Representatives for YouTube, Salman Khan, and the Bachchans have yet to comment on the latest developments.
