George Carlin's estate sues over AI-generated stand-up special titled 'I'm glad I'm dead'
The estate of comedy legend George Carlin has filed a lawsuit against the makers of an hour-long video featuring a version of him made using artificial intelligence, accusing them of stealing "a great American artist’s work."
The estate of comedy legend George Carlin has filed a lawsuit against the makers of an hour-long video featuring a version of him made using artificial intelligence, accusing them of stealing "a great American artist’s work."
A voice sounding remarkably like the comedian, who died of heart failure in 2008, appears on a "comedy special" titled "George Carlin: I'm glad I'm dead," which was uploaded to YouTube earlier this month by the Dudesy channel.
Carlin's estate filed a lawsuit in California Federal Court, alleging copyright infringement and a violation of the late comedian's right to publicity.
There is no visual representation of Carlin — the video instead shows a series of AI-generated images — but the voice touches on familiar themes such as religion and politics, while also discussing the comedian's own death.
This legal action illustrates how AI in creative works is one of the biggest issues in entertainment and comes after a monthslong writers’ strike in Hollywood last year, partly over studios’ use of AI in generating scripts.
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