Sharon Osbourne denies cash grab claims surrounding AI Ozzy Osbourne: “I don’t need your fucking money”
Sharon Osbourne has leapt to the defence of the controversial AI avatar of her late husband Ozzy Osbourne.
In May, Sharon and her son Jack took to the stage at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, where they revealed a new partnership with Hyperreal for an AI Ozzy to appear in Proto Luma units in the UK and the US later this summer.
It promises to be a life-sized, patented holoportation device fit with multi-touch volumetric display and conversational and spatial AI capabilities.
This led to a backlash from fans with an anti-AI stance, which initially caused Jack to take to his YouTube channel to promise that it’s “gonna be so tasteful” and “not gonna be fucking lame”.
Now, in the latest episode of The Osbournes Podcast, Sharon used the platform to have her say on the controversy surrounding the project, denying that it was done for financial incentives.
Sharon told listeners, “But the thing is, it’s like saying when there were propellers and then there were jet planes. Oh, well, cash grab! Why go on a jet when there’s a propeller? Oh, well, cash grab! Why go on a jet when there’s a propeller?”
She continued, “What are you doing?’ Well, you know what, technology moves on. And I’m sorry for those people. I’m not asking you to come. I don’t want your fucking money. I don’t need your fucking money. I’m doing very well.”
Sharon then claimed that Ozzy would have fully supported the move, adding, “For somebody to turn around to me and say I’m doing a cash grab? No, you don’t know my husband, OK? I know my husband. And my husband would say to me over and over, ‘After I go, how long do you think I’ll be remembered?'”
The music mogul has a long-term vision for the project, which she sees as something that “will pass on through our family, and it’s for our grandkids”.
Meanwhile, in the same episode, Jack reiterated his previous comments about it being “tasteful”, explaining that it “isn’t ChatGPT with dad’s face on it” before stating that it’s “closed AI”.
He also gave his reasoning for supporting the AI Ozzy, sharing that it’s “either we do it or someone else is gonna do it”, and “for me, it’s not about pretending he’s still alive. It’s making sure he’s never forgotten.”
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