In a significant move against AI misuse, Delhi High Court on Thursday postponed Gautam Gambhir’s lawsuit over deepfake videos exploiting his image to March 23. The bench instructed the cricketing icon’s lawyers to amend shortcomings in the filing.
Filed just a day earlier on March 19, the petition accuses multiple entities of commercially exploiting Gambhir’s persona without consent via sophisticated AI tools. Deepfakes are doctored to show him issuing false statements, primarily to inflate online engagement metrics.
A viral fake clip of Gambhir ‘resigning’ exploded to 29 lakh views rapidly, while his massive 1.2 crore follower base makes him a prime target for such deceptive content on social platforms. His counsel emphasized this as a grave dignity issue.
Gambhir’s team reported alarming surges in counterfeit videos across major platforms from late 2024. Techniques like face-swapping and voice-cloning fabricated scenarios, such as bogus comments on World Cup selections, amassing 17 lakh views.
Targeting 16 respondents—from rogue accounts like Janki Frames and Legends Revolution to behemoths Amazon, Flipkart, Meta, X, Google, YouTube—the plea also implicates government bodies for compliance.
Reliefs sought include hefty Rs 2.5 crore compensation, takedown of infringing material, perpetual bans, and prohibitions on future unauthorized use. The urgency stems from the unchecked proliferation of such tech-driven harms.
As AI deepfakes proliferate, Gambhir’s fight could set vital precedents for safeguarding digital personalities in India’s booming social media landscape.