George Carlin’s estate sues: Shocking twist, humans penned ghoulish AI

January 29, 2024

TLDR:

The estate of late comedian George Carlin has filed a lawsuit against the podcast Dudesy for using Carlin’s likeness in an AI-authored comedy special without permission. The special, titled “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead,” features AI-generated jokes and an impersonation of Carlin’s voice. The lawsuit alleges that the podcast used Carlin’s copyrighted material to create a fake stand-up routine. However, Dudesy claims that the special was written by humans and that the AI element is part of their podcast’s premise. The lawsuit seeks to have the video taken down and destroyed, as well as punitive damages.

The article highlights the controversy surrounding the use of AI-generated content and the potential copyright infringement issues it raises. It mentions other lawsuits involving comedians and organizations, such as Sarah Silverman’s class-action suits against OpenAI and Meta, and the Author’s Guild lawsuit against OpenAI. The article concludes by emphasizing that the courts will determine what constitutes AI-created content and the responsibility of humans in using AI tools.

Key elements:

  • The estate of George Carlin is suing the podcast Dudesy for using Carlin’s likeness in an AI-authored comedy special without permission.
  • The lawsuit alleges that the special used Carlin’s copyrighted material to create a fake stand-up routine.
  • Dudesy claims that the special was written by humans and the AI element is part of their podcast’s premise.
  • Other lawsuits involving comedians and organizations using AI-generated content are mentioned.
  • The article emphasizes that the courts will determine the legal implications of AI-generated content.

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