Hanan Motawie Expresses Outrage: Does AI Legitimize Violating the Rights to Use Celebrity Images Without Consent?

Egyptian actress Hanan Motawie has expressed her deep anger and severe displeasure following the viral spread of a video clip created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. The clip featured deceased celebrities reunited with their children after years of separation, including her father, the late actor Karam Motawie.

In a lengthy post on her official "Facebook" page, Motawie acknowledged that the clip was "moving," showing her and several colleagues in "touching moments with our late fathers... as if they were sending us a message from the other world." However, she quickly raised her fundamental question, asking: "I do not doubt the content creator's intention, but does anyone have the right to use my image, likeness, and the image of my father without referring back to me?!"

Hanan Motawie emphasized that past professional practices mandated that "production companies would contract with us when they wished to use our images and voices in artistic works." She voiced concern that AI could become a tool for rights infringement, questioning how normal it would be to "be surprised one day and find myself in a film that contradicts my convictions?" She stressed that the possibility of using her image and likeness in artistic works without consent via AI poses a real threat.

The actress summarized her position, saying: "It is wonderful to use technology for beneficial purposes, but what is happening now is theft, a violation of rights, and a usurpation of my right to approve and reject." She announced her "categorical" refusal to allow the use of her image, voice, or the images of her parents (the late Karam Motawie and the esteemed actress Sohair El Morshedy) in "any artistic, media, or journalistic work without referring back to me and providing written consent."

Hanan Motawie, born in Cairo in 1979, belongs to a long-established artistic family. She studied acting at the High Institute of Theatrical Arts and has a rich history of famous artistic works.