Anil Kapoor has been featured in TIME’s list of ‘100 Most Influential People In AI ‘. The actor’s name has been included in the ‘Shapers’ category. Anil Kapoor’s mention in the list and feature on the cover has caught the attention of Indian fans, who are wondering why the actor has been included at all.
Why TIME Recognized Anil Kapoor as an AI Influencer
This comes after he won a case against the unauthorised use of his likeness by artificial intelligence. The judgement was passed by the Delhi High Court in September this year. The bench included Justice Prathiba M Singh. The case was taken up after several edited videos, emojis and gifs with the actor’s likeness began circulating on social media. Anil Kapoor also wanted to protect his catchphrase ‘jhakaas’, which he first used in the 1985 Hindi film, Yudh. The Delhi High Court passed a judgement in the actor’s favour, prohibiting 16 defendants from using “Anil Kapoor’s name, likeness, image, voice or any other aspect of his persona to create any merchandise, ringtones … either for monetary gain or otherwise”.
Anil Kapoor had told Variety, “I think [the decision] is very progressive and great not only for me but for other actors also … Because of the way AI technology is evolving every day.” “It’s not only for me. Today I’m there to protect myself, but when I’m not there, the family should have the right to protect my [personality] and gain from it in future,” he added.
The judgement was passed when the SAG-AFTRA members were protesting against Hollywood studios over the use of their likeness in perpetuity through AI, without consent and compensation. Anil Kapoor expressed his solidarity with striking artists and said, “I am always, completely with them in every which way, and I feel their rights should be protected, because everybody, big, small, popular, not popular – every actor has the right to protect themselves.”
The ruling was seen as a landmark judgement in Bollywood as it came at a time when several actors were grappling with the misuse of AI. Actors like Alia Bhatt, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Rashmika Mandanna were subjected to the ordeal of deep fake videos, which went viral on social media last year. This year, AI-generated videos of actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh were widely circulated online during election season. The fake videos came as a shock to netizens as the actors were seen criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During an interview with CNN, Anil Kapoor stated, “You have to protect the bodywork, the kind of person you have, your family and yourself. I didn’t take the lead. I think it was Amitabh Bachchan who took the lead in this. I took a step further. Obviously, there’s a long way ahead and I’ll keep on doing my best, fighting for my rights as a human being, actor, person, and citizen of this country India, as well as the entire planet.”
Anil Kapoor’s landmark victory inspired other artists to protect their personas from AI misuse. Jackie Shroff approached the Delhi High Court in May this year to restrain firms, social media channels, artificial intelligence apps and GIF-making platforms from using his name, voice, image or any other attribute without his consent. Justice Sanjeev Narula presided over the matter and ruled in the actor’s favour. In July this year, singer Arijit Singh approached the Bombay High Court against the misuse of his voice and likeness by AI. The court ruled in the singer’s favour.
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