Combatting AI deepfakes to safeguard Indian cricketers’…

Following the Indian women’s cricket team's victory at the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup, brands and corporate entities leveraged generative AI to create celebratory social media content. This practice, known as moment marketing, resulted in the viral spread of synthetic images, including a deepfake of team captain Harmanpreet Kaur depicted in bed with the tournament trophy. While these posts were framed as patriotic celebrations, they were inauthentic representations created without the player's consent.

What happened

The incident highlights a growing trend where brands use generative AI tools to bypass official licensing fees for athlete endorsements. By hijacking the viral success of the 2025 World Cup victory, companies generated high-fidelity synthetic images to associate their brands with the team’s achievement. This unauthorized use of likeness infringes upon the personality and publicity rights of athletes, stripping them of the ability to control their own commercial equity. Unlike traditional ambush marketing, which relies on spontaneous fan energy, these AI-generated assets are created instantly via prompts, allowing brands to capture audience attention before officially licensed campaigns can reach the market. The circulation of these synthetic replicas poses a threat to the integrity and professional standing of female athletes, who rely on the authenticity of their public image for their careers. This incident underscores the vulnerability of athletes in the age of genAI, as brands exploit their personas to gain commercial traction without providing compensation or securing proper authorization.