A new AI-driven comedy special features an eerie, computer-generated impression of the late legendary comedian George Carlin, who died in 2008. As Rolling Stone reported, the hour-long YouTube show titled “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead” comes from podcasters Chad Kultgen and Will Sasso. Their show Dudesy uses AI to mimic celebrities based on their body of work.
The result with Carlin is an uncanny simulation covering topics the caustic comic may have riffed on today - from mass shootings to social media. The AI even ribs its own limitations doing stand-up versus a human.
But Carlin’s daughter Kelly blasted the special on Twitter, saying “no machine will ever replace his genius.” She said her dad honed his art using his “very human life, brain and imagination” over a lifetime.
Kelly admonished Dudesy for trying to “recreate a mind that will never exist again.” She pointed fans to Carlin’s 14 genuine comedy specials instead. When asked if Dudesy had permission, she replied “ZERO PERMISSION GRANTED.”
The episode raises ethical questions around using AI to mimic deceased performers without consent. But the technology continues advancing rapidly, being used in other AI generated podcasts. Even an icon like Carlin can apparently be authentically impersonated by silicon circuits and code.