So far, there is no specific law or rule that says AI influencers are illegal. That means, for now, yes, AI influencers are legal in India, just like anywhere else in the world. But that’s not it, there are a few things you should consider, both, as an AI influencer creator and as someone who follows an AI influencer personality online. Let’s talk about just that.
What Are Specific Laws Regarding AI Influencers in India? Or Are There Any?
As of now, you see, AI influencers are legal in India and there are no specific regulations set for AI influencers right now, so you are good to go with that. Instead, the rules provided for human influencers are applied to the AI avatars or personalities as well. Though, one of the main legal principles in such matters is disclosure and transparency. What does that mean? Essentially, if an AI influencer is endorsing a product or service, it should be made clear that they are not a real human being but a computer-generated face or avatar. This is super important to avoid any misrepresentation to the public. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the body that regulates the guidelines for advertising, has made it a MUST for influencers to disclose any sponsored promotions. This is also a must for AI influencers so they remain transparent in their advertisements.
Another thing that needs to be looked into is intellectual property (IP). IP means the rights to such things as designs and contents. For AI influencers that use software to produce content, it is very important to highlight who owns the content. This could involve a case such as the developers of the AI influencer, the companies that hired them, and the platforms that published the content. For all the parties, in this case, clear agreements on ownership are needed so that no person can, later on, claim something as theirs that is not the case.
But Why Are We Even Talking About This In The First Place?
Alright, finally, we want to discuss AI influencers and the ethics that are involved in using them. You see, oftentimes it is seen that these AI influencers tend to mislead people into believing something that is not true at all, or you can say that this kind of technology is being used by the wrong people who want to just exploit it for their profit. That’s all. So, whenever you are using social media, make sure you know that the person whose advice you are following or just watching the content of a person online, could be that they are just another AI influencer, who is not even a real person.
Another concern regarding the privacy issue has arisen because of AI influencers collecting all sorts of data online, you know? Additionally, in India, where the public is growing more and more concerned about data privacy, government laws regarding personal data are beginning to surface with all this AI scene going on out there. Thankfully, we have seen the Indian government work on these digital world matters quite quickly, so, let’s hope for something good regarding this as well.
