Popular podcaster Raj Shamani, known for his informative long-form content, has hosted many celebrities. From the viral Vijaya Mallya interview to lifestyle-related content, he has over 13 million subscribers on YouTube. However, he filed a lawsuit with the Delhi High Court for the protection of his personality rights.
Urging the removal of AI-generated content which ais to mimic him, Shamani’s legal team sought an injunction order against social media channels and websites which use his name, persona, or any attributes, as per a Bar and Bench report. The matter also seeks relief against an unnamed John Doe and protection of Shamani’s registered trademarks and copyrighted content.
Raj Shamani has joined the list among several notable celebrities who took the legal route to protect themselves. The Delhi High Court has previously passed directive protecting the persona of Bollywood actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff. With AI becoming easily accessible, spiritual leaders like Sri Sri Ravishankar and Jaggi Vasudev joined the bandwagon, too.
Raj Shamani’s case is scheduled to be heard by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora on Monday, November 17. He has often engaged in such conversation with his guests to help gather meaningful insight into AI, for him and his readers. He has addressed the growing threat of AI-generated fraud, like deepfakes and voice cloning scams, in India.
AI Celebrity Scams
There are several wrongdoers in search of their next vulnerable target. As per several reports, Indians have lost an average of Rs 34,000 in such scams involving deepfake scams and fake endorsement claims from celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Internationally, scams often try to use personalities like Elon Musk and Taylor Swift, flashing crypto giveaways, gambling, and fraudulent promotions.
With the widespread accessibility to AI, running celebrity scams has become a sophisticated and niche problem. Leveraging the likeness of the voice, fan following, and the persona, scammers tend to fool their victims using fake endorsements. It takes all shapes and forms, from financial fraud to romantic blackmail, there needs to be a clear policy framework in the time to come.