Jack and Sharon Osbourne defend AI recreation of Ozzy Osbourne: 'Preserves his legacy'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: TV personality and businesswoman Sharon Osbourne and son Jack Osbourne are defending their decision to create an artificial intelligence version of singer and songwriter Ozzy Osbourne following criticism from some fans.
During an episode of 'The Osbournes podcast,' the pair addressed concerns surrounding the project, explaining that the goal is to preserve the late rock icon’s legacy and ensure that future generations can continue to engage with his story. Ozzy died in July 2025 at the age of 76.
Sharon Osbourne defends AI avatar to preserve Ozzy Osbourne’s legacy
Responding to accusations that the AI initiative is a “cash grab,” Sharon dismissed the criticism and explained that the idea stemmed from conversations she had with her husband before his death. “Ozzy always said, ‘Will I be remembered? In 20 years, will people know who I am,’” she recalled on the podcast.
She said the family viewed the technology as a way to preserve his presence for future generations. “Technology changes. You can either be afraid of it or embrace it,” She said before adding, “This is something for our family. It’s for our grandkids. It’s something that they can always have.”
The AI avatar was first announced at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas in May, where the duo revealed that Ozzy would continue to “exist digitally as himself” through the project.
The initiative is being developed with Hyperreal, a company that specializes in creating digital humans through its “digital DNA” technology. According to Hyperreal CEO Remington Scott, the avatar is “built entirely from authenticated, approved, and consented source material curated by those closest to Ozzy.”
In a previous interview on the 'Dumb Blonde' podcast, she reflected on the time leading up to when he died, just two weeks after the 'Back to the Beginning' performance at England’s Villa Par, “Two weeks before the show, they said he could probably die, and he did," Sharon said adding, "But he wanted to do it so bad."
Jack Osbourne calls the AI recreation an accurate representation of Ozzy Osbourne
Jack also defended the project, stressing that the AI version of his father is designed to be as accurate as possible. “This isn't like ChatGPT, where it goes out and scrapes the internet,” he explained, adding, “This is a closed AI."
He continued, "It only has access to information that's been verified, information that's been said by him, information that's been written about him that's factually correct.” Jack argued that the technology is intended to "preserve his legacy" rather than create a false impression of being alive.
Jack stated, “People are like, ‘Oh, this is weird.’ I'm like, ‘Well, someone's going to do it. I'd rather we do it than someone else do.’"
He also added, “It's not to fool anyone into thinking he's still alive. It's to make sure that he's never forgotten.” He also revealed that he had discussed the concept with his father before his death and said Ozzy supported the idea.
“I spoke to him about it before he passed,” he said, adding, “And he was all for it.” Describing the technology behind the project, he said, “It's not just putting a photo on a chatbot. It's pretty incredible what they're able to do.”
