Ozzy Osbourne AI avatar announced by family, sparking debate over recreating deceased celebrities

Ozzy Osbourne's next stage act is an AI avatar, and fans are split

Ozzy Osbourne is the latest dead legend being pulled into the AI avatar era. Sharon and Jack Osbourne announced the project at Licensing Expo 2026 in Las Vegas, where they revealed a partnership with Hyperreal and Proto Hologram to create a lifelike digital version of the late Black Sabbath frontman. Ozzy died in July 2025 at the age of 76, just weeks after his final live performance with Black Sabbath in Birmingham. What's the purpose of AI Ozzy? The project is being described as an AI-powered avatar rather than a simple hologram clip. This avatar will use Ozzy's voice, image, and movement, and is meant to interact with fans in real time. Sharon Osbourne said fans will be able to ask the digital version of Ozzy questions and receive answers in his voice. Recommended Videos The rollout is expected to begin in Proto Luma units in the UK and the US later this summer. Those are life-size interactive display systems that combine holographic-style presentation with touchscreen and conversational AI features. Why fans already hate it However, the announcement hasn't gone as smoothly as the family would've expected. Some fans have called the project disrespectful and raised concerns about using Ozzy's likeness for future brand work and advertisements. Jack Osbourne responded to the backlash during a livestream, saying the project would be "so tasteful" and arguing that it was far more advanced than simply attaching an image of his father to a chatbot. Jack also claimed the family had discussed similar ideas with Ozzy before his death, adding that he believed his father would have been into the concept. With AI recreations of dead celebrities becoming one of the entertainment industry's most uncomfortable new battlegrounds, loyal fans aren't happy with this news. Ozzy is far from the first major figure to receive this treatment. The music industry has already seen digital recreations of artists such as Tupac Shakur, Michael Jackson, and many others. Hyperreal has also worked on an interactive AI avatar of Stan Lee.

AI-powered Ozzy Osbourne hologram is happening, his family says

Ozzy Osbourne's death continues to loom even nearly a year later, but fans of the heavy metal icon may get a chance to see him again. This time, as an AI-powered hologram. Osbourne's family announced plans to create a lifelike AI version of the Black Sabbath frontman, who died on July 22, 2025, at the age of 76, capable of answering fan questions in real time using his own voice and personality. Sharon Osbourne and son Jack Osbourne unveiled the project during a panel discussion at the 2026 Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, where they discussed the future of the Osbourne brand and preserving Ozzy Osbourne's legacy for future generations. "You can ask Ozzy anything, and he will answer you in his own voice - and the answers will be what Ozzy would have said," Sharon Osbourne said during the discussion, per License Global and BBC. "We're going to take it all around the world. People can talk to him and he will talk back." AI hologram aims to keep Ozzy Osbourne's legacy alive AI-Ozzy Osbourne is being developed through a partnership with tech companies Hyperreal and Proto Hologram. The project will use what Jack Osbourne described as his father's "digital DNA," including his voice, image and movement. "It's kind of scary how it's really very accurate," Jack Osbourne said during the expo panel. "He will exist digitally as himself for as long as we have computers." The hologram is expected to launch later this year in the United States and the United Kingdom through interactive touchscreens placed at undisclosed locations, according to Forbes. The AI avatar will be capable of responding individually to fans, appearing to make eye contact and even adjusting its behavior depending on the audience, The Guardian reported. "He's not just a chatbot, he can truly read the room," Proto Hologram founder David Nussbaum told Forbes. "He might call out a Black Sabbath tattoo on a fan's arm across the room." Hyperreal CEO Remington Scott said the technology was built exclusively using authenticated material provided by the Osbourne family. "Nothing is scraped from the internet, nothing is approximated and nothing is generated from data that wasn't specifically and willingly given," he added. USA TODAY contacted Hyperreal and Proto Hologram for additional comment about the AI-powered Ozzy Osbourne hologram project and whether there are plans for future uses beyond fan interactions. Fans react to Ozzy Osbourne hologram plans The announcement has already sparked debate online, with some fans questioning whether digitally recreating deceased celebrities crosses a line. Critics and social media users have chimed in on the project, particularly amid discussion about potentially using AI-Ozzy Osbourne in commercials and licensing deals. "They're still trying squeeze money out of this man," one X user wrote. "Let him rest." Another user wrote: "Wow! A year hasn't even passed since Ozzy's passing and they are already trying to commercialized and profit from his memory." Jack Osbourne pushed back against the criticism during a recent YouTube livestream, insisting the project would authentically honor his father. "This isn't just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT," Osbourne said. "It's really complex what we're doing." He also said Ozzy Osbourne had discussed similar technology before his death. "I know he would be into this," Jack Osbourne added. Ozzy Osbourne's enduring impact on music and pop culture Ozzy Osbourne, often called the "godfather of heavy metal," died just weeks after reuniting with Black Sabbath for a farewell concert in England. From his musical legacy to reality TV fame as part of MTV's "The Osbournes," Osbourne remained one of rock music's most recognizable and unconventional stars across more than five decades. Born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham, England, the singer helped pioneer heavy metal with Black Sabbath before launching a successful solo career that included hits such as "Crazy Train," "Mama, I'm Coming Home" and "Mr. Crowley." Sharon Osbourne said she hopes her husband's legacy can continue for generations, comparing his staying power to Elvis Presley. "Elvis died 50 years ago, and everybody knows Elvis," Sharon said during the expo panel. "I just want that for Ozzy." Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at [email protected] or on X @athompsonUSAT

Jack Osbourne Defends AI Ozzy Osbourne: 'It's Not Gonna be Fucking Lame'

Jack White, Barack Obama, Conan O'Brien Celebrate Stephen Colbert as 'The Late Show' Ends Jack Osbourne spoke up in defense of the AI avatar of Ozzy Osbourne that was announced last week. The Osbournes partnered with Hyperreal and Proto Hologram to create an AI-powered Prince of Darkness, which will be able to speak with his fans and will be available in Proto Luma units in the U.K. and U.S. later this summer. Jack and his mother Sharon Osbourne announced the project at Licensing Expo 2026 in Las Vegas, with Jack noting that "it's kind of scary how it's really very accurate." Despite the family's excitement, there has been some backlash from the public and from Osbourne's fans. Jack addressed the upset during a livestream Q&A on Saturday. "Here's the thing, it's gonna be so tasteful what we're doing. It's not gonna be fucking lame," Jack said. "It's really complex what we're doing. This isn't just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. This is some high-level technology that we're gonna be working with, and it's gonna feel very real, and it's kind of wild how it will be utilized." He explained that he had discussed similar ideas with his dad prior to his death last year. "It's really cool and it's something that I think my dad would be into," Jack said. "We actually talked about it before he passed, about doing something like this ... I know he would be into this." At the announcement, Sharon explained, "You can ask [the digital] Ozzy anything, and he will answer you in his own voice -- and the answers will be what Ozzy would have said. We're going to take it all around the world. People can talk to him and he will talk back." "It's kind of scary how it's really very accurate," Jack said. "He will exist digitally as himself for as long as we have computers. Technology has come such a long way to where it's almost drag-and-drop. You could shoot a template for a commercial ... literally prompt what you want Digital Ozzy to do in that commercial and you just drop it in. It's that simple now." The CEO of Hyperreal, Remington Scott, told Rolling Stone that it created the Ozzy avatar using patented technology that allows the avatar to operate in real time. The company uses patented "Digital DNA" technology to gather the data it needs to create the avatars. "It can perform live, respond to audiences, and exist within interactive environments," Scott said. "This isn't pre-rendered content playing on a loop. It's a living performance, built exclusively from authenticated source material: curated, consented, and controlled by the people closest to Ozzy."