In May, the Osbourne family, including Sharon, wife of the iconic Ozzy Osbourne, and Jack, Ozzy's son, announced that the former Black Sabbath frontman would have an AI-created likeness on display at Licensing Expo 2026. Jack even raved about how much the content was like the real person.
Of course, with almost everything AI, especially in terms of an image of the deceased, is used, there will be pushback from fans. One obvious issue is whether those using the image are making money from its use. That feels a bit creepy.
Unlike Prince, who begged to never have his image used in a hologram, maybe Ozzy Osbourne didn't have the same problems with AI. His family would hopefully have gone by whatever wishes he had in that aspect, if he had any at all. What's clear is that Sharon Osbourne is in no mood to hear complaints about an AI-driven Ozzy entertaining those at the Expo.
Sharon Osbourne in no mood for pushback about an AI-created Ozzy Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne said on a recent episode of the podcast, The Osbournes, "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 f****** money. I don’t need your f****** money. I’m doing very well."
The company, Hyperreal, that created AI Ozzy, certainly isn't a startup. In 2021, Hyperreal produced a younger-looking Paul McCartney in a video with Beck in 2025 for the Los Angeles Comic Con. Of course, the huge difference there is that McCartney and Beck are still very much living, so any qualms they might have had about their image being used would have come straight from them.
KISS will be using avatars at a show in Las Vegas in 2028. While guitarist Ace Frehley died in 2025, the two people in control of everything about the band, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, are still alive. They are helping form the show.
Again, the overall issue some might have with the avatar of Ozzy Osbourne is that he is no longer with us. That changes the narrative of how his likeness is used in many minds, though, ultimately, the Osbourne family has the right to say how his image will be used.
In other words, as Sharon Osbourne stated, the family doesn't need the money. The implication is that they simply want to keep Ozzy's image in use and control the narrative of how it is used.
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