George Carlin Estate Sues Creators of AI-Generated Comedy Special Imitating the Late Comedian

George Carlin's estate has sued the creators of an AI-generated comedy special that replicates the late comedian's voice and humor style.

Filed in a California federal court on Thursday, the lawsuit alleged that the comedy special's creators unlawfully utilized Carlin's entire work spanning five decades to train an AI chatbot that wrote the script.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the estate also objects to the unauthorized use of Carlin's voice and likeness for promotional purposes.

'A Fight on Every Front'

The lawsuit, a pioneering legal action by a deceased celebrity's estate, seeks a court order to remove the comedy special immediately and demands unspecified damages. The move comes as Hollywood expresses concerns over the unauthorized use of AI to mimic individuals without consent or compensation.

Kelly Carlin, author, producer, and George Carlin's daughter, emphasized the need to draw a line in the sand. She told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview: "This is going to be a fight on every front, with entertainment at the center."

'George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead'

The legal dispute revolves around the comedy special titled "George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead," released on January 9 on the YouTube channel of Dudesy, a podcast hosted by Chad Kultgen and Will Sasso.

The show claims to be a "first-of-its-kind media experiment," using an AI tool called "Dudsey AI" to generate episodes in the style of the podcast hosts, imitating their voices and mannerisms.

In the special, the AI-generated George Carlin comments on modern topics such as reality TV, streaming services, and AI, adopting the late celebrity's signature style and cadence.

The complaint contends that the AI program used five decades of Carlin's original stand-up routines, owned by his estate, to create the special, alleging unauthorized copying of Carlin's copyrighted works.

Notably, the legal challenge confronts the difficulty of proving the use of copyrighted materials in training AI models, as AI processes are often considered black boxes with undisclosed data sources.

The lawsuit claims that the creators admitted to inputting thousands of hours of George Carlin's original copyrighted routines into the AI machine to fabricate the comedian's voice and style.

Right of Publicity Laws

George Carlin's estate also asserted violations of the right of publicity laws for the unauthorized use of Carlin's name and likeness in promoting the AI-generated special.

The estate argued that the special misrepresents Carlin's art and could deter younger audiences unfamiliar with the comedian from engaging with his real body of work.

Although the special wasn't monetized with advertisements, the lawsuit alleged that the creators sought to boost their profiles by garnering attention through the episode.

Jerry Hamza, Carlin's longtime manager and the executor of the comedian's estate, is the one who filed legal claims for copyright infringement and violations of right of publicity laws.