Abhishek Bachchan files Rs 4 crore lawsuit against Google, YouTube removes hundreds of AI-generated Bollywood videos
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Hundreds of AI-generated Bollywood videos with over 16 million views have been deleted from YouTube after a legal challenge by Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
The couple has filed lawsuits in New Delhi seeking to protect their intellectual property rights and to prohibit the creation of unauthorised AI videos.
Their petitions also question YouTube’s AI training policies.
Last month, a judge ordered the removal of a few YouTube links flagged in the actors’ lawsuits. However, Reuters reported this week that the platform continued to host hundreds of similar AI-manipulated videos, some showing celebrities in intimate or romantic scenes.
One major channel, titled AI Bollywood Ishq, was among those removed. It previously hosted 259 videos, including sexually explicit content, and had amassed 16.5 million views. On Friday, its page displayed the message: “This page isn’t available.” The most popular video on the deleted channel had 4.1 million views and showed an AI-generated animation of Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a swimming pool.
YouTube stated that the channel mentioned in the report was deleted by its creator, adding that the company prohibits harmful misinformation and removes content that is “technically manipulated or doctored in a way that misleads users.” YouTube did not provide further details about the deleted account. Attempts to contact the owner of the channel were unsuccessful.
India, with nearly 600 million users, is YouTube’s largest market worldwide, particularly popular for Bollywood-related content. Despite the takedowns, several AI-generated videos similar to those cited in Abhishek Bachchan’s lawsuit remained online as of Friday. These included a clip of Abhishek suddenly kissing a film actress through AI manipulation, and another showing an AI depiction of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Salman Khan sharing a meal while Abhishek appears upset.
The Bachchans are seeking approximately Rs 4 crore ($450,000) in damages against Google and several smaller websites accused of selling unauthorised merchandise featuring their images.