George Carlin Estate Joins the War Against AI After Scarlett Johansson and Taylor Swift Vow to Take Severe Actions
George Carlin, one of the greatest stand-up comedians to have existed, has been resurrected, or so to say. He was not only a comedian but also an author, actor, and social critic. Referred to as the ‘dean of counterculture comedians,’ he was widely known for dark comedy and reflections on many things, such as the English language and taboo subjects.
Now, more than a decade and a half after his sad demise, George Carlin has been resurrected. How? Using AI which is probably one of the greatest and most dangerous technological inventions of this decade. AI continues to get more powerful with each passing day with the help of humans like us, using it to their advantage with no second thoughts whatsoever.
The recent victim of this is George Carlin, and the comedian’s estate is not one to sit back and watch his legacy be disrespected like this.
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George Carlin’s Estate Has Filed a Lawsuit
It has not been too long since Taylor Swift’s AI-generated explicit pictures were circulated all over the internet. The This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things singer is reportedly considering taking legal action against the AI website that released the pictures. Back in November, Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson took legal action against the AI app that used her likeness for an advertisement.
The late comedian George Carlin happens to be one of those celebrities who have fallen victim to the illegal use of AI. An hour-long AI-generated comedy special named George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead went viral on the internet recently. This drew his estate’s attention to the video.
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The Carlin estate has filed a lawsuit against Dudesy, the media company behind the release of the comedy special featuring an approximation of the comedian’s voice and comedy style. The chatbot was trained using Carlin’s materials to generate such results.
The plaintiff was filed in California federal court on Thursday. In addition to a court order for the removal of the video, it also demands an unspecified amount of money for copyright violation since the company used the comedian’s materials to train the chatbot without permission or license.
George Carlin’s Daughter’s Views on this Situation
George Carlin was a comic legend. He was a creature made of flesh and blood; one that had a beautiful talent for entertaining others. The mere idea that a chatbot can replicate his being seems ridiculous. It is even hurtful to his own reputation and his loved ones.
Carlin’s daughter Kelly Carlin has opened up about this situation (via Variety). In the statement announcing the lawsuit, she wrote:
“The ‘George Carlin’ in that video is not the beautiful human who defined his generation and raised me with love. It is a poorly-executed facsimile cobbled together by unscrupulous individuals to capitalize on the extraordinary goodwill my father established with his adoring fanbase.”
Kelly Carlin also wrote that she craves more time with her father as much as the next person (probably more), but the truth of the matter is that no AI can ever bring back George Carlin. Hopefully, the required legal action will be taken against the company and any other such companies that make such pictures and videos of celebrities.
