Is it illegal to clone a singer's voice in India?

There's no specific AI voice law yet, but Indian courts have treated unauthorised use of a singer's voice, name and likeness as a violation of personality rights. The Bombay High Court's orders protecting Arijit Singh (2024) and Asha Bhosle (2025) are the leading examples. Both were interim orders.

Can I make an AI model of my own voice?

Yes, and some artists do, for demos or licensed projects. Read the tool's terms carefully, because some give the tool rights over the voice data you upload.

What do I do if someone releases a song in my AI-cloned voice?

Report it to the platform. Spotify, for example, says vocal impersonation is only allowed when the impersonated artist has authorised it. Keep evidence, and speak to a lawyer if it continues or is being monetised.

Should I license my voice to an AI company?

Only with a written agreement that sets out exactly what the voice can be used for, for how long, where, how you're paid, what you can approve, and how you can end it.

Voice cloning and protecting your identity

This module explains where things stand. It isn't legal advice. If your voice is being misused commercially, speak to a lawyer.

What voice cloning is

Voice cloning uses AI trained on recordings of a person to generate new audio in their voice: singing words they never sang, or speaking lines they never said. The technology is widely available, and some tools let anyone convert their voice into a famous singer's in a few clicks.

What Indian courts have done

India has no specific law on AI voice cloning yet, but courts have used personality rights: a person's right to control the commercial use of their name, voice, image and likeness.

Arijit Singh (Bombay High Court, July 2024). In an interim order, the court restrained several parties from using his name, voice, vocal style, mannerisms, image and other aspects of his personality without consent. The case involved AI tools that let users convert audio into his voice. It's widely described as the first AI voice-cloning decision in India.
Asha Bhosle (Bombay High Court, September 2025). In another interim order, the court restrained defendants, including an AI company, from using and commercialising her voice, image, likeness and name through AI tools. The court said that making AI tools available to convert any voice into a celebrity's without permission violates personality rights.

Both were interim orders in cases brought by very well-known singers. Personality rights protect everyone, but how far they extend for artists at an earlier stage of their careers is less tested.

What platforms do

Spotify introduced an impersonation policy in September 2025: vocal impersonation is only allowed when the impersonated artist has authorised it. It's also working with distributors to stop uploads delivered to the wrong artist's profile.
YouTube Music and Apple Music label AI-generated content, and YouTube has expanded AI labelling to videos.

How to protect your voice and identity

Never license your voice casually. Any agreement should state the exact uses, duration, territory, payment, your approval rights and how to end it.
Read before you upload. Some AI tools' terms give them rights over voice data you provide.
Use one consistent artist name and claim your profiles everywhere, so impersonators are easier to spot and remove.
Monitor. Search your name on streaming platforms and YouTube regularly, and set up alerts.
Report impersonation to the platform straight away, with links and evidence.
Keep evidence: screenshots, links, dates and any earnings visible.
Get legal help if misuse continues or someone is making money from your voice.

If you want to use AI with your own voice

Some artists build AI models of their own voice for demos, harmonies or licensed fan projects. If you do:

Use tools whose terms leave ownership of your voice model with you.
Decide in advance what you'll allow, and what you won't.
Tell your audience when they're hearing an AI version of you.

Your checklist

Claim your artist profiles on every platform.
Search for your name and voice monthly.
Never share raw vocal stems with tools or people without terms you've read.
Keep a template clause for any voice licence: uses, term, territory, pay, approval, exit.