The estate of legendary stand-up comedian George Carlin has taken legal action against Dudesy, a media company responsible for creating a fake hourlong comedy special using artificial intelligence (AI) to imitate Carlin's style and material. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday, demands that Dudesy immediately remove the audio special titled "George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead." Carlin's daughter, Kelly Carlin, expressed her disappointment, stating that the work is a "poorly-executed facsimile" created by unscrupulous individuals seeking to profit from her father's devoted fanbase.

The lawsuit, which alleges violations of Carlin's right of publicity and copyright, names the Carlin estate and its executor, Jerold Hamza, as plaintiffs. Dudesy and podcast hosts Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen are listed as the defendants. According to the lawsuit, none of the defendants had obtained permission to use Carlin's likeness for the AI-generated special, nor did they possess a license to use any of the late comedian's copyrighted materials.

As of now, the defendants have not responded to the lawsuit, and it remains unclear whether they have retained legal representation. Efforts to reach them for comment have been unsuccessful. The controversy surrounding the special began with its release on YouTube on January 9th. At the start of the video, an AI engine employed by Dudesy claims to have analyzed 50 years of Carlin's material to imitate his voice, cadence, attitude, and the subject matter he would have found relevant today.

The plaintiffs argue that if the special was indeed created in the manner described, it constitutes a violation of Carlin's copyright. Some listeners have expressed skepticism about the authenticity of the AI's stated origins. Dudesy, as is customary for similar projects, also released a podcast episode featuring Sasso and Kultgen introducing and commenting on the synthesized Carlin. In a section of the episode cited in the lawsuit, Kultgen asks, "What we just listened to, was that passable?" to which Sasso responds, "Yeah, that sounded exactly like George Carlin."

This lawsuit is expected to be one of many legal battles against the unauthorized use of celebrity images and likenesses through AI technology. The issue of AI was a significant point of contention during last year's Hollywood writers and actors strikes. Josh Schiller, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, emphasized that the case is not solely about AI but also about the individuals who utilize AI to violate the law, infringe on intellectual property rights, and disregard common decency.