Ozzy Osbourne‘s son Jack Osbourne has responded to a wave of criticism the family have faced after announcing that Ozzy is set to return as an AI-powered avatar.
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Jack revealed the news alongside Ozzy’s widow, Sharon, during a discussion about the future of Ozzy’s brand at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas last week. The family have enlisted tech company Hyperreal to create the digital Prince Of Darkness, which was met with much scepticism from Black Sabbath fans, many of whom found the move ghoulish.
Jack has since responded to the criticism in a livestream on his YouTube channel, saying: “Here’s the thing, it’s gonna be so tasteful what we’re doing. It’s not gonna be fucking lame.
“It’s really complex what we’re doing. This isn’t just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. This is some high-level technology that we’re gonna be working with, and it’s gonna feel very real, and it’s kind of wild how it will be utilised.”
Continuing to sing the technology’s praises, he said it was “awesome”, and revealed that he had discussed it with his dad before his death last year. “It’s really cool, and it’s something that I think my dad would be into,” Jack added.
“We actually talked about it before he passed, about doing something like this. So, yeah. I know he would be into this.”
When the AI-powered Ozzy was first announced, Sharon told fans they could ask it anything, “and he will answer you in his own voice”.
“We’re going to take it all around the world. People can talk to him and he will talk back,” she added. The avatar will begin appearing in life-sized, interactive touchscreens across the US and UK this summer.
Earlier this month, Jack shared that a biopic about his parents was “absolutely” happening and pencilled in for a 2028 release.
The film was first announced in 2021, and is set to tell the story of the Ozzy and his wife and manager, Sharon. It is being written by Oscar-nominee Lee Hall (Rocketman, Billy Elliott), and developed by Sony Pictures and Polygram Entertainment.
There has been speculation over whether Yungblud could portray the metal icon in the long-mooted biopic about the star. Piers Morgan had put Harrison’s name forward during an interview with Sharon late last year. Looking taken aback, she responded: “I’m not saying a word.”
Then, in January, Ozzy’s son Jack revealed that “a phenomenal, phenomenal actor” would be taking on the role. “We have a director attached, and we’re doing a rewrite right now,” he said at the time.
Elsewhere, homelessness charity Centrepoint recently cut ties with Sharon Osbourne after she appeared to lend support to Tommy Robinson’s far-right rally. The charity commented: “This sort of event does not align with our values.”
