The misuse of artificial intelligence to create fake images and videos of celebrities has raised fresh concerns in the entertainment industry, with actors including Janhvi Kapoor and Keerthy Suresh speaking out against the unauthorised use of their likenesses.
According to NDTV, Visual effects expert CB Arun Kumar has called for stricter laws to regulate AI-generated content, arguing that social media platforms should be required to display clear and prominent labels on images and videos created using the technology.
In an interview with ‘Hindustan Times’, Arun Kumar, dean of communications, film and gaming at Pearl Academy, said manipulated images existed long before AI became widespread, with Photoshop, body doubles and visual effects previously used to create misleading content. AI, he argued, has now made it easier for people to produce such material and profit from it.
“There are already plenty of legal ways to take down that kind of objectionable content,” he said, adding that Instagram’s AI disclaimer was too small and difficult for viewers to notice.
“We need stricter laws that mandate clear, bold labelling of AI content so it can no longer pretend to be news,” he said, citing fabricated disaster footage as an example of misleading material circulating online.
Arun Kumar stressed the need to distinguish between criticism of AI as a technology and concerns over its unlawful use, particularly when artists’ work is used without their consent.
“Taking the Luddite position that all AI is evil and all the work it creates is stolen from humans is simply meaningless,” he said.
He also highlighted the economic challenges AI poses for digital artists, as companies increasingly turn to automated tools instead of hiring human professionals. Artists working in film, television, fashion and media are facing growing pressure as AI can produce content more quickly and, in some cases, at lower cost.
However, Arun Kumar believes professionals who learn to incorporate AI into their work may be better positioned to adapt to changes in the industry.
He added that AI had become an established part of everyday life and that understanding how to use the technology responsibly was more productive than rejecting it outright.
