--- title: "George Carlin Estate Sues Podcasters Over AI “Comedy Special”" description: "The George Carlin estate is suing the people behind the \"AI special\" for allegedly using the artist's likeness without consent." date: "2024-01-26" modified: "2024-01-26" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/george-carlin-estate-sues-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai art" - "comedy" - "george carlin" - "lawsuits" --- # George Carlin Estate Sues Podcasters Over AI “Comedy Special” ![The George Carlin estate is suing the people behind the "AI special" for allegedly using the artist's likeness without consent.]() *\Image: George Junge via Getty / Futurism\* After a widespread outcry, the estate of the late comedian George Carlin is suing the people behind a so-called AI-generated "[comedy special]()" for using the artist's likeness without consent. Earlier this month, an outfit called Dudesy AI posted an hour-long standup routine titled "George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead." Run by "Mad TV" alum Will Sasso and podcaster Chad Kultgen, the duo claim they trained AI models on the comic's huge body of recorded work — though [*Ars Technica* has cast doubt]() on that assertion — and in doing so, drew the wrath of Carlin's estate, which didn't approve any such use. Controlled by his daughter Kelly Carlin and his longtime manager Jerry Hamza, the estate is [alleging in a California lawsuit]() that Dudesy was not authorized to use "Carlin's original, copyrighted routines" to train its AI. Along with not having consent to use those routines, Hamza and his attorneys have also charged Sasso and Kultgen with misrepresenting Carlin's work and attempting to profit off of his "name, reputation, and likeness." Indeed, in the description of the [YouTube video in question](), there are links to all kinds of Dudesy-related monetization, from the duo's merch store to their Patreon. ![]() Anticipating First Amendment arguments claiming Dudesy's unfunny approximation falls under "fair use" law, the suit says that the video "has no comedic or creative value absent its self-proclaimed connection with George Carlin" and does not "satirize him as a performer or offer an independent critique of society." Back when Dudesy first dropped its middling comedic facsimile, the comedian's daughter, who is also an author and podcaster, spoke out online and [to *Futurism*]() to decry the "special" and AI imitations in general. "We are clearly at the beginning of a new era of the lack of respect and autonomy of artists by corporations and other entities that want to use source material without permission," Carlin told us in an email. "This bastardization of existing comedic material feels like a very sad day for the art form, and all human expression." In an exchange following news of the lawsuit, Carlin told *Futurism* that she's been in touch with the Screen Actors Guild about [AI legislation]() that could strengthen cases like this one — but as Hamza, her dad's former manager and the co-owner of the estate, [told *Hollywood Reporter*](), there are already laws in place that could favor the suit as is. "In order to accomplish what they did, they needed to, without permission, take a reputation, a body of work, a voice and a likeness and use it to draw attention to themselves," he told the magazine. "It raises issues of civil and criminal liability under both California and federal statutes regulating rights of publicity and copyright." **More on AI suits**: [*Taylor Swift Has Threatened Legal Action Over AI and Fake Nudes Before*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()