Despite being dead for 15 years, comedian George Carlin defied expectations by dropping a new comedy special this week. Except it wasn’t George Carlin, it was Dudesy the comedy artificial intelligence (AI).
Kelly Carlin, George’s daughter, took to X to express her unease at this development. She also stated that Dudesy and its creators Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen had not received permission before creating the video.
ZERO PERMISSION GRANTED. https://t.co/BAm62WrWSU
— Kelly Carlin (@kelly_carlin) January 11, 2024
“My statement regarding the AI-generated George Carlin special: My dad spent a lifetime perfecting his craft from his very human life, brain, and imagination. No machine will ever replace his genius. These AI-generated products are clever attempts at trying to recreate a mind that will never exist again. Let’s let the artist’s work speak for itself. Humans are so afraid of the void that we can’t let what has fallen into it stay there.” She said in a thread on the social media platform, continuing, “Here’s an idea, how about we give some actual living human comedians a listen to? But if you want to listen to the genuine George Carlin, he has 14 specials that you can find anywhere.”
In the video description on YouTube, ‘Dudesy’ said, “I tried to capture his iconic style to tackle the topics I think the comedy legend would be talking about today. The chaos of the current American political landscape and class system, the influence of reality TV, and the increasing role of technology in society as AI is poised to change humanity forever are just a few of the subjects I cover.” The AI tried to liken the special to Elvis impersonators or other comedy impressionists in the video.
Is there legal recourse for AI impersonation?
Some X users have noticed that critical comments on the YouTube video are being removed. “The people who made that grave-robbing AI George Carlin video are predictably deleting negative comments. I hope they get sued.” said one user.
On the subject of legal action, Kelly Carlin has expressed that she is researching her options and consulting with lawyers, but there is a lack of clarity on the legalities of this issue. Earlier this year, Dudesy and its creators were subject to legal threats from Tom Brady, the NFL player, who was the subject of a prior AI-generated fake by the team. The creators addressed this in their podcast.
Lawmakers are only just beginning to grapple with how AI and deepfakes might affect the next election and there is currently little recourse in situations like this. It is vital that legislators catch up with AI developments.
Featured Image: Dudesy
