George Carlin’s Estate Sues Over Unauthorized AI Comedy Special
The estate of legendary comedian George Carlin has filed a lawsuit against the creators of an AI-generated comedy special that mimics Carlin’s voice and style of humor. The lawsuit, which was filed in California federal court, accuses the creators of using Carlin’s entire body of work without consent or compensation to train an AI chatbot that wrote the script for the special. The estate also takes issue with the unauthorized use of Carlin’s voice and likeness for promotional purposes.
The legal battle marks one of the first instances of a deceased celebrity’s estate taking legal action against the unlicensed use of their work and likeness to create an AI-generated creation. The lawsuit comes at a time when Hollywood is increasingly concerned about the use of AI to impersonate people without their consent or compensation.
Author and producer Kelly Carlin, George Carlin’s daughter, expressed her determination to fight against the unauthorized use of her father’s work. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she stated, “We have to draw a line in the sand. This is going to be a fight on every front, with entertainment at the center.”
The lawsuit centers around an hourlong special titled “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead,” which was released on the YouTube channel of the podcast Dudesy. The special is described as a “first of its kind media experiment” and revolves around an AI program called “Dudesy AI” that has access to the hosts’ personal records. The AI program writes, creates, and controls episodes in the style of the hosts, Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen, who are named in the complaint.
In the special, an AI-generated George Carlin imitates the comedian’s signature style and narrates commentary over AI-created images. The special tackles modern topics such as reality TV, streaming services, and AI itself, which gained prominence after Carlin’s death in 2008.
The lawsuit alleges that the special was created through the unauthorized use of Carlin’s copyrighted works. The AI program used Carlin’s original stand-up routines, which are owned by his estate, as training materials, thereby making unauthorized copies of the copyrighted works.
Proving that AI models used plaintiffs’ works as training materials has been a major challenge in copyright infringement suits against companies like OpenAI and Meta. The opaque nature of AI models makes it difficult to provide definitive proof. However, in this case, Sasso and Kultgen admitted to inputting thousands of hours of Carlin’s copyrighted routines into the AI machine to fabricate the comedian’s voice and style.
The lawsuit also claims violations of right of publicity laws for the use of Carlin’s name and likeness. The special was promoted as an AI-generated George Carlin installment, where the deceased comedian was “resurrected” using AI tools.
The estate argues that the AI-generated work may deter younger audiences from engaging with Carlin’s real body of work. They claim that the special misrepresents Carlin’s art and takes away the introduction of his work from its rightful place, putting it into the hands of Sasso and Kultgen.
While the special was not monetized through advertisements, the lawsuit claims that its creators sought to boost their profiles with the episode. The creators aimed to attract more sponsors by leveraging the attention garnered from their exploitation of Carlin’s name, likeness, and copyrighted works.
Jerry Hamza, George Carlin’s longtime manager and the executor of his estate, brings claims for copyright infringement and violations of right of publicity laws. He is represented by intellectual property lawyer Joshua Schiller.
Kelly Carlin took to social media to express her concerns about the implications of this unauthorized use of her father’s work. She warned other deceased artists’ families, including Robin Williams’ daughter, Zelda, and Joan Rivers’ daughter, Melissa, that they could be targeted next.
Currently, there are no federal laws specifically covering the use of AI to mimic someone’s likeness or voice. However, a bipartisan coalition of House lawmakers recently introduced the No AI Fraud Act, which aims to prohibit the publication and distribution of unauthorized digital replicas. The legislation would confer intellectual property rights at the federal level, giving individuals the exclusive right to approve the use of their image, voice, and visual likeness. This proposed law could help curb the growing trend of unauthorized AI-generated content.
In conclusion, the lawsuit filed by George Carlin’s estate against the creators of an unauthorized AI comedy special highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the use of AI to mimic deceased celebrities. The legal battle raises important questions about consent, compensation, and the protection of intellectual property rights in the age of AI. As Hollywood continues to sound the alarm over the unauthorized use of AI, lawmakers are taking steps to address these concerns and protect individuals’ rights in the digital realm.