Carlin estate, outlet settle over fake comedy video
LOS ANGELES — The estate of George Carlin has agreed to a settlement with the media company it sued over a fake hourlong comedy special that purportedly used artificial intelligence to re-create the late standup comic’s style and material.
In the settlement agreement filed with a federal court Monday, and a proposed order from both sides that awaits a judge’s approval, the podcast outlet Dudesy agrees to permanently take down the special and to refrain from using Carlin’s image, voice or likeness in the future without the estate’s express written approval.
The settlement meets the central demands laid out by the Carlin estate in a lawsuit filed on Jan. 25.
“I am grateful that the defendants acted responsibly by swiftly removing the video they made,” Carlin’s daughter Kelly Carlin said in a statement. “While it is a shame that this happened at all, I hope this case serves as a warning about the dangers posed by AI technologies and the need for appropriate safeguards not just for artists and creatives, but every human on earth.” George Carlin died in 2008.
In the audio special, titled “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead,” a synthesis of the comic delivers commentary on current events. A companion Dudesy podcast episode with hosts Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen — the company and the two men are the defendants in the lawsuit — was released with the men playing clips and commenting on them.
Messages seeking comment from Kultgen and Sasso were not returned.
At the start of the special posted on Youtube on Jan. 9, a voiceover identifying itself as the AI engine used by Dudesy says it listened to the comic’s 50 years of material and “did my best to imitate his voice, cadence and attitude as well as the subject matter I think would have interested him today.”
The plaintiffs say if that was in fact how it was created, it meant Carlin’s copyright was violated.