The legendary Black Sabbath frontman died final yr on the age of 76
British rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, the charismatic Black Sabbath frontman who helped outline heavy steel for generations of followers, is ready to make an AI-powered digital comeback, as his household has unveiled plans to create an interactive hologram of the late singer.
The self-styled ‘Prince of Darkness’ died in July of 2025 on the age of 76 after a years-long battle with Parkinson’s illness and different well being issues. His demise got here simply weeks after a farewell reunion live performance in his hometown of Birmingham that raised tens of millions for charity.
The undertaking was introduced by Osbourne’s spouse Sharon and son Jack throughout a panel at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. The endeavor will transfer ahead in partnership with tech firms Hyperreal and Proto Hologram, which focus on AI-generated digital replicas and immersive leisure experiences.
The announcement rapidly triggered backlash on-line, with critics questioning the rising use of AI to recreate useless celebrities, whereas urging the household to “let the man rest.”
Responding to the criticism throughout a YouTube Q&A on Tuesday, Jack Osbourne stated the avatar was going to be “tasteful,” asserting that his father “would be into this.” The rock icons son additionally famous that the know-how concerned was much more superior than merely “hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT.”
According to the household, the life-sized digital Ozzy shall be able to interacting with followers in actual time utilizing AI educated on the singer’s voice, look, and archive footage. The know-how might ultimately be utilized in movies, commercial, and different media tasks.
“We’re going to take it all around the world. People can talk to him, and he will talk back,” Sharon Osbourne stated.
Osbourne joins a rising listing of late entertainers digitally recreated via AI and hologram know-how, together with Elvis Presley and Tupac Shakur. Debate over such know-how has more and more drawn comparisons to dystopian eventualities explored within the British sci-fi sequence ‘Black Mirror’, which explored AI-generated recreations of human personalities.
This is not the primary controversy surrounding AI tributes that has emerged since Osbourne’s demise. Last yr, a Rod Stewart live performance that includes an AI-generated video of the singer alongside different late music stars drew criticism on-line, with some viewers calling it “creepy” and “tasteless.”
Interest in Osbourne’s legacy has remained robust. Sony Pictures is growing a biopic for launch in 2028, whereas an exhibition devoted to his life and profession is operating in Birmingham via September.
(RT.com)