The legal representatives of George Carlin’s estate have initiated a legal action against the media corporation responsible for a counterfeit hour-long comedy special that claims to use AI technology to replicate the late comedian’s style and content.

The legal complaint, filed in a Los Angeles federal court on Thursday, requests a court order for the podcast platform, Dudesy, to remove the audio feature titled “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead.” The feature features a compilation of Carlin’s commentary on present-day happenings, even though he passed away in 2008.

Carlin’s daughter, Kelly Carlin, released a statement stating that the project is “a shoddily made imitation hastily put together by dishonest individuals looking to profit from the strong admiration my father garnered from his devoted fanbase.”

The lawsuit filed by Jerold Hamza, executor of the Carlin estate, accuses Dudesy and podcast hosts Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen of violating Carlin’s right of publicity and copyright. The plaintiffs in the suit are the Carlin estate and Hamza.

According to the lawsuit, the Defendants did not have authorization to utilize Carlin’s image in the AI-generated ‘George Carlin Special’ and also lacked a license to use any of the late comedian’s copyrighted content.

The accused individuals have not submitted a reply to the legal action and it is uncertain if they have secured legal representation. They were not readily available for further remarks.

In the YouTube special released on January 9, a voiceover introduces itself as the AI engine utilized by Dudesy. It claims to have analyzed 50 years worth of the comedian’s material and attempted to mimic his voice, tone, and perspective on current topics.

The individuals who filed the lawsuit claim that if the method of creation is indeed as stated – which has been questioned by some listeners – it would constitute a violation of Carlin’s copyright.

As is customary for this company on similar projects, they also published a podcast episode featuring Sasso and Kultgen discussing and providing commentary on the mock Carlin.

Kultgen commented in the mentioned section of the episode, asking if what we heard was acceptable.

“Yes, that definitely sounded like George Carlin,” Sasso replies.

This legal action is one of the first of many expected attempts to combat the renewed utilization of famous people’s images and likenesses.

The topic of artificial intelligence played a significant role in resolving the Hollywood writers and actors strikes that occurred last year.

Attorney Josh Schiller, representing the plaintiffs, stated that the lawsuit is not solely focused on artificial intelligence, but also on the individuals who utilize AI to break the law, violate intellectual property rights, and disregard common morals.