A new comedy special starts with the quote, “I’m sorry it took me so long to come out with new material, but I do have a pretty good excuse. I was dead.”

The voice sounds like comedian George Carlin, but that would be impossible, as Carlin died in 2008. The voice in the special is actually generated by an artificial intelligence (AI).

“This is not my father. It’s so ghoulish. It’s so creepy,” Carlin’s daughter, Kelly Carlin-McCall, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.

The YouTube account Dudesy, which is described as a podcast, artificial intelligence and “first of its kind media experiment,” released the hour-long special on Jan. 9. CBC reached out to the producers of Dudesy and its co-host Will Sasso for comment, but did not get a response.

Sasso and co-host Chad Kultgen say they can’t reveal the company behind the AI due to a non-disclosure agreement, according to Vice. The channel launched in March 2022.

Carlin-McCall said the channel never reached out to the family or asked for permission to use her father’s likeness. She says her father took great pride in the thought and effort he put into writing his material.

      • Magical ThinkerEnglish
        1•11 months ago

        Which government? Where I live that’s still a synonym for corporation.

          • PugJesus
            1•11 months ago

            Ah, yes, the CCP. Don’t you have Uyghur genocide to apologize for or something, tankie?

            • queermunist she/her
              -3•11 months ago

              Compare Xinjiang province with Gaza if you want to see how fucking stupid the genocide claims against China are, and yet the same countries are defending Israel as it commits open genocide before our eyes. The lies are so fucking obvious at this point, do you not have any shame?

              Also, CPC you fucking dork. Communist Party of China. CCP is redscare bullshit meant to make people think of the CCCP lol

              • PugJesus
                2•11 months ago

                Did you know more than one genocide can be happening at once in the world? Surprising, I know!

                Fucking tankies. Operating literally on a child’s understanding of the world.

                • queermunist she/her
                  -5•11 months ago

                  There’s a reason none of China’s accusers are trying to take them to the International Court of Justice.

                  And those same accusers, again, are defending Israel as it commits genocide. Why do you think that is?

                  • PugJesus
                    3•11 months ago

                    There’s a reason none of China’s accusers are trying to take them to the International Court of Justice.

                    The International Criminal Court announced in December last year that it would not investigate the allegations because China, as a non-member, was outside of its jurisdiction.

                    Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice can only take a case that has been approved by the UN Security Council, over which China has veto power.

                    Fucking dumbass.

        • queermunist she/her
          3•11 months ago

          Cynicism.

          Corporations are creations of government. They can be brought under government control.

          Might need a new government though lol

      • ThankYouVeryMuch
        -1•11 months ago

        But it’s the governments the ones using AI for the most evil things. Impersonating a dead comedian is a pretty benign use in my opinion.