“This is the First Amendment, freedom of speech-type sh*t”: Enraged Comedians React To Tom Brady Threatening Lawsuit Over AI Podcast Impersonating Him
Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen, two comedians, claimed in a recent episode of their Dudesy podcast that Tom Brady’s attorneys had asked them to take down a popular clip of the quarterback telling crude jokes for an hour. Thus, the comedians complied and removed the video at midnight on the same day.
The first 10 minutes of the special were available on YouTube before it was removed. In a previous explanation, the comedians described how they created Brady’s likeness. One of the jokes referred to his recent divorce from the model, Gisele Bündchen, and the 2015 Infamous Deflategate scandal.
Now, Tom Brady’s legal team has sent a letter to the podcasters asking them to remove all Dudesy-related content that features the quarterback’s name, image, voice, persona, or likeness.
Tom Brady Threatened to File a Lawsuit After AI Impersonated Him in a Comedy Special
NFL legend, Tom Brady‘s legal team has threatened to sue Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen if they do not remove an AI-generated comedy special that impersonates the former quarterback. The cease and desist letter was sent to the two comedians as a warning.
For the unversed, an artificial intelligence (AI) version of Brady performed stand-up and cracked crude jokes during the, It’s Too Easy! A Simulated Hour-Long Comedy Special.
In the cease-and-desist letter, Brady’s lawyers alleged that the comedy special “blatantly violated” the rights of the seven-time Super Bowl champion. They demanded that the podcast’s hosts either take down the video that was uploaded or risk legal action.
The duo agreed, but not before voicing their disapproval on their podcast and pointing out that Brady’s AI-generated impersonation was obviously satirical in nature. Kultgen said,
“I think we’re dealing with First Amendment, freedom of speech-type sh*t here. This is obviously a parody… This is what all impressionists do. You watch hours of tape of that person to get their mannerisms and stuff like this down. It’s literally the same.”
This Is Not The First Time the Football Legend Was Roasted
Last May, Tom Brady was the subject of a Netflix roast special, Greatests Roasts Of All Time: GROAT.
Is it acceptable for him to be the target of jokes in that setting? The situation raises concerns about the boundaries of parody and satire as well as how much control public figures have over their likeness and image.
Brady’s legal team might contend that the recent AI-generated impersonation went too far. But other people might counter that this type of impersonation is a form of commentary and critique that is protected by the First Amendment.
It’s important to note that Tom Brady has previously dealt with legal issues involving his likeness and image. The NFL quarterback registered the names ‘Tom Terrific’ and ‘Tom Brad’ as trademarks in 2018. This sparked outrage from supporters and critics, who claimed the names were already connected to other famous people.
Finally, the conflict between Brady and the comedians raises significant issues regarding the boundaries of free speech and the rights of public figures.
As AI technology develops, we will probably witness more legal disputes involving AI-generated content. As a result, this will raise critical concerns about how technology influences our culture and society.
Source – TMZ; Dudesy podcast
