Comedian George Carlin's estate reached a settlement Monday with the podcast producers who accused them of using artificial intelligence to impersonate Carlin in a comedy feature.
As part of the agreement, podcast creators Will Sasso and Chad Krutgen will permanently remove the comedy feature and not repost it on any platform, said Josh Schiller, an attorney for Carlin's estate. He said he agreed. They also agreed not to use Carlin's image, voice or likeness on any platform without the estate's approval, according to court records.
Schiller declined to elaborate on whether the settlement included monetary damages, saying other parts of the settlement were confidential.
Karlin's estate filed a lawsuit in January alleging that Sasso and Krutgen, hosts of the “Dudesee” podcast, trained an AI algorithm based on Karlin's 50 years of work for the special. claimed to have infringed the copyright of the estate management organization. “George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead” posted on YouTube. The lawsuit also said it illegally used Carlin's name and likeness.
“The world is beginning to realize the power and potential danger inherent in AI tools that can imitate voices, generate fake photos, and alter videos,” Schiller said in a statement Tuesday.
He added: “This is not a problem that will go away on its own. We must take swift and strong action in the courts, and there must be some accountability from AI software companies whose technology is being weaponized.”
A spokeswoman for Mr. Sasso declined to comment. A spokesperson for Mr. Krutgen could not immediately be reached.
Kelly Carlin, George Carlin's daughter, said in a statement that she was pleased the lawsuit was resolved so quickly.
“While it is unfortunate that this has happened, I hope this incident serves as a warning about the dangers posed by AI technology and the need for appropriate safeguards,” Carlin said.
“George Carlin: Glad to Die” begins with a voice saying, “Hello, my name is Dudessy, and I'm a comedy AI,” followed by: It's clear that this isn't the George Carlin you're about to hear. This is a George Carlin impersonation developed in exactly the same way that human impressionists do.
“I listened to all of George Carlin's songs and did my best to imitate his voice, rhythm, demeanor, and subjects that I thought would interest him today,” the voice continued, then I heard another voice that sounded like Carlin had taken the riff. Current events such as homelessness, police, mass shootings, and artificial intelligence.
Sasso's spokesperson, Daniel Dell, said in January that the podcast character “Dudesee” was a fictional character created by the host and was not actually an AI.
