George Carlin’s Daughter Slams New AI Imitation Comedy Special

A new comedy special featuring the name and face of George Carlin has gone live, but the late comedian had nothing to do with its production. George Carlin: I’m glad I’m dead is an hour-long special, featuring an AI replica of George Carlin making jokes about mass shootings, farts, and the eventual death of stand-up comedy. Carlin’s daughter, Kelly Carlin, took to X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, to denounce the special.

“My father spent a lifetime perfecting his craft from his human life, brain and imagination,” she wrote. “No machine will ever replace his genius.” In another tweet, she clarified that there is “ZERO CONSENT GRANTED” from the Carlin family.

George Carlin was an iconic stand-up comedian who died in 2008. Known for his sardonic delivery and biting commentary on current events, he released fourteen stand-up comedy specials throughout his career.

The new special was developed by Will Sasso, best known for Crazy television, and novelist Chad Kultgen. The two run a podcast called Dudesy, which is written by a “comedy AI” who writes material for the duo’s podcast and YouTube show.

Kelly Carlin writes: “If you want to support our resistance to this AI bullshit, please leave a comment the YouTube video of the special. And also let the podcasters who collaborate with this AI bot know how you feel.”

Carlin has stated that she is exploring her legal options; However, because AI is advancing so quickly, there is very little case law defining boundaries in this endeavor. Carlin also tagged Zelda Williams and Melissa Rivers, the daughters of Robin Williams and Joan Rivers, and the Twitter account of the late comedian Garry Shandling, with the message: “We need to talk. They’ll come for you next.’