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Can Creators Use AI Images, Voices and Videos?

AI can make a video look real in minutes. Before you post it, ask: could someone believe a person said something they never said, or that an event actually happened?
11 October 2026 by
GETHELP24
You can use AI to write a script, clean up audio, create illustrations or make a video. Using AI is not, by itself, prohibited in India. What matters is what you create, whose material you use, and how you present the result.

When does an AI edit become a concern?
Suppose you brighten a photograph or remove background noise from an interview. The person still looks and sounds like themselves, and the meaning has not changed. The 2026 IT Rules generally exclude this kind of routine, good-faith editing from their definition of synthetically generated information.

Now suppose you make a realistic video of that person speaking words they never spoke. Or you generate footage of a protest that never took place and present it as a news clip. That is the kind of realistic synthetic content the rules address. The distinction is whether the content could be taken for a real person or a real-world event, not simply whether an AI tool was used. 


Can I use someone’s face or voice? 
Be particularly careful when an AI tool uses an identifiable person’s face or voice. A cloned voice saying “I recommend this product” could make viewers believe that person endorsed it. A face swap could make them appear to have attended an event or done something they did not do.

A label saying “AI-generated” does not give you permission to misuse someone’s identity. Deceptive impersonation, fabricated statements and non-consensual intimate images can lead to removal and legal consequences. If your content needs a real person’s likeness or voice, get clear permission for the intended use, especially for an advertisement. If you are making a reconstruction or fictional scene, make its nature unmistakable to viewers. 

Do I need to label AI content? 
The IT Amendment Rules introduced in February 2026 address realistic synthetic images, audio and video. They place labelling and related technical duties on the covered AI services and publishing platforms. Large social media platforms must also ask users whether uploaded content is synthetically generated and take steps to verify the answer.

For a creator, the practical step is straightforward: answer the platform’s AI-content question honestly and use its disclosure feature where required. If your realistic scene, person or voice might otherwise be mistaken for genuine footage or audio, explain what viewers are seeing or hearing. For example: “AI-generated recreation; this is not footage of the incident.” The statutory platform duties should not be described as a rule that every creator must label every AI-assisted post: a grammar correction or ordinary colour adjustment is different from a realistic fabricated event. 


Can I use AI to recreate an artwork, song or video?
An AI tool does not erase someone else’s copyright. If you upload a photographer’s image and ask a tool to alter it, or use someone’s recorded music in an AI-made Reel, you still need to consider your right to use the original material and your right to publish the result.


Read the AI tool’s terms too. Check whether they allow commercial use of the output and what rights you grant when you upload material. India’s Copyright Act refers to a person who causes a computer-generated work to be created, but that does not mean every AI output is automatically yours to own exclusively, or that the tool can grant you rights over material supplied by someone else. 


What if my AI character promotes a brand?
Imagine creating a realistic virtual presenter who recommends a skincare product in a paid Reel. Viewers need to understand two separate things: that the presenter is not a real person, and that the recommendation is advertising.


ASCI’s influencer advertising guidelines call for upfront, prominent disclosure that a virtual influencer is not a real human being. Its advertising disclosure rules also apply where there is a material connection with a brand, such as payment or a free product. Calling the character “AI” alone does not tell viewers that the post is sponsored. 


What should I avoid putting into an AI tool?
Before uploading a client brief, unpublished campaign, private photograph, contract or another person’s voice recording, check whether you are authorised to share it with that tool. Read its terms and privacy settings to understand how the input may be stored or used. Being able to upload a file is not permission to disclose it.

Before you post: a practical check

Ask yourself:

1. Could viewers mistake this for a real person, statement or event? If yes, identify it clearly as a recreation or synthetic content and follow the platform’s disclosure process.
2. Have I used someone’s face, voice, image, music or other work? Check the permission you have and whether it covers this use.
3. Is anyone being shown doing or saying something they did not do or say? Do not rely on an AI label to cure a deceptive or harmful portrayal.
4. Is this a brand promotion? Disclose the commercial connection; if the presenter is a realistic virtual influencer, disclose that too.
5. Did I upload private or confidential material to make it? Check that you had authority to share it.


The simplest rule: AI can help you make content, but you remain responsible for what you choose to publish.

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Sources and further reading

  1. MeitY’s explanation of the 2026 synthetic-content rules
  2. The Copyright Act, 1957
  3. ASCI’s influencer advertising guidelines

Disclaimer: This article provides general information for creators in India. The position may depend on the content, agreement, platform and current rules. For a specific notice, campaign or dispute, ask a question on GetHelp24 or speak with an independent legal professional.

GETHELP24 11 October 2026
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Can I Use Someone Else's Music, Photo or Video in My Content?
You found the perfect song for your Reel. Or perhaps a photograph or film clip makes your point beautifully. Before you post it, ask one question: do you have the right to use it in this post?