The creators of ‘Dudesy’, a comedy podcast penned by artificial intelligence, have decided to remove a fabricated comedy episode which featured a virtual version of late comedian George Carlin. This action comes after a decree from George Carlin’s estate, urging them to cease using the comedian’s likeness, voice, and image without obtaining appropriate authorization. The estate brought this issue before a California federal judge on Tuesday. Law360 reports on this development.
The usage of AI technology to regenerate voices, likeness, and even personalities of public figures, particularly deceased ones, continues to raise ethical and legal questions around the globe. In this context, the decision by ‘Dudesy’ can be viewed as a significant acknowledgement of intellectual property rights and respect for persona rights post-mortem, a topic that is becoming increasingly critical in an era of advanced AI capabilities.