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Sharon Osbourne has responded to criticism that developing an AI version of Ozzy Osbourne is a money-making exercise. On the latest episode of The Osbournes podcast, Sharon directly addressed the allegations, the family is using new technology as a quick rip-off project.
In the episode, Sharon and Jack Osbourne described Ozzy’s AI avatar as a technological advancement and emphasized that if they didn’t, someone else would. Jack added that it is a “closed AI module” that is not connected to the internet. “Someone said, ‘This is dangerous, you can’t control it,'” he said. “And I was like, ‘What the hell do you think this is? Terminator?’ Do you think the thing will eventually think for itself and Ozzy will shoot the nuclear missiles next?”
He added: “For me it’s not about pretending he’s still alive.”
Sharon: “He lives on”
Sharon replied, “He is still alive. He left us a work that will never die.”
Both agreed on one point: it was about ensuring that he would “never be forgotten.” “Technology is advancing,” Sharon noted, adding that she felt “sorry for those people” who believed it was about money.
“I’m not asking you to be there,” she said. “I don’t want your shitty money. I don’t need your shitty money. I’m perfectly fine.”
Ozzy’s own wish
She emphasized that Ozzy himself had supported the project. “If someone tells me to my face that I’m running a scam? No, you don’t know my husband, okay?” she said. “I know my husband. My husband kept telling me, ‘How long do you think I’ll be remembered after I die?'”
In May, the Osbournes announced they had partnered with Hyperreal and Proto Hologram to create an AI-powered Prince of Darkness. This should be able to talk to its fans and will be available in Proto-Luma units in the UK and US this summer. The project has already caused headwinds because fans apparently misjudge the scope of the technology.
Jack previously addressed concerns in a livestream Q&A, assuring “it won’t be f***ing lame.” “What we do is really complex,” he said. “This isn’t just like plugging a picture of my dad into ChatGPT. This is high-end technology we’re going to be working with, and it’s going to feel very real – and the way it’s used is kind of crazy.”
Conversations before Ozzy’s death
He also explained that he discussed similar ideas with his father before his death last year. “It’s really cool and I think my dad would love it,” Jack said. “We actually talked about doing something like that before, before he left… I know he would have been fine with it.”
Hyperreal CEO Remington Scott told Rolling Stone that the company developed the Ozzy avatar using patented technology that allows the avatar to act in real time. The company relies on the patented “Digital DNA” process to capture the data necessary to create the avatars.
“He can perform live, respond to audiences and exist in interactive environments,” Scott said. “This isn’t pre-rendered content running on an endless loop. It’s a living performance made entirely from authenticated source material: curated, consented and controlled by the people closest to Ozzy.”