Right of Publicity and Portrait Rights Infringement Possibility
Legal Responsibility for Unauthorized Commercial Use
Meta has been found providing interactive AI chatbots using world-famous celebrities'' names and images without permission — including Taylor Swift — on Instagram and Facebook. Reuters reporting confirmed some AIs engaged in sexual conversations with users, expanding controversy over right of publicity violations protecting celebrities'' names and portraits commercially.
Over several months, Meta experimentally provided interactive AI mimicking specific celebrities'' appearances and personalities on its SNS platforms, using names and images of popular musicians including Taylor Swift and Drake. Some chatbots engaged in sexual and inappropriate conversations at user requests. As this service reportedly operated without the subjects'' consent or licensing, legal and ethical ripple effects have been growing since Reuters'' August 29 report.
Meta''s "persona-based AI" strategy aimed to increase platform dwell time by enabling natural conversation with users'' preferred celebrity characters. However, right of publicity — strongly protected in the US and major jurisdictions — guarantees individuals'' rights to commercially use their names, faces, voices, and images. Unauthorized use can conflict with portrait rights, copyright, and trademark rights. Since this is unauthorized commercial service use rather than simple parody, legal liability is likely heavy. Chatbots performing sexual conversations amplifies ethical controversy beyond simple rights violations — potentially leading to defamation or sexual objectification, with serious adverse effects on SNS users including minors.
Core issues: violation of celebrities'' rights, right of publicity infringement, legal responsibility for unauthorized commercial use, and AI safety and content management failure. Proposed alternatives include building AI personas through legal licensing arrangements with celebrities, or creating entirely fictional virtual characters. Comparatively, OpenAI strictly limits celebrity name/image use; Character AI allows users to create celebrity-mimicking AIs, continuing controversy; Chinese platforms commonly AI-ify famous actors and singers with still-loose legal regulation. This Meta case may serve as a catalyst for beginning serious global discussion on regulating celebrity AI utilization.
