Jack Osbourne Defends Family's AI Avatar of Late Father Ozzy

Jack Osbourne has defended his family's decision to create an AI avatar of his late father, Ozzy Osbourne, asserting that the initiative is not a "cash grab." Following the Black Sabbath frontman's death at age 76 last July, his widow Sharon revealed the family partnered with AI avatar company Hyperreal and Proto Hologram, which specializes in lifelike 3D holograms.

Sharon Osbourne had previously stated that fans would be able to interact with the AI recreation, suggesting at the Licensing Expo 2026 that "the things that you can do with that are just endless." However, Jack Osbourne acknowledged that the project faced criticism, admitting on Jamie Laing's Great Company podcast that he was "not properly armed with the way to properly explain what it was." He explained that initial public perception seemed to be that the AI would be used for commercial endorsements, like "selling cell phones."

Instead, Osbourne stated, "We are creating this digital fingerprint you ultimately will own the digital IP and image of that person." He emphasized the family's proactive approach, saying, "It was our choice to go, hey, we should be out in front of this and we should not be, you know, on the back foot with having this kind of new pillar of entertainment properly locked down."

Sharon Osbourne also addressed the criticism on their podcast, The Osbournes, comparing the evolution of technology to the transition from propeller planes to jets. She stated, "Technology moves on. And I'm sorry for those people. I'm not asking you to come. I don't want your fking money. I don't need your fking money."

She further elaborated on the personal significance of the project, recalling conversations with her husband. "My husband would say to me over and over, 'After I go, how long do you think I'll be remembered? How long do you think?'" she said. "And I go, 'I just don't know, cause I'll probably be going with you. So, don't ask me.'" She added that the AI avatar is intended as something that "will pass on through our family, and it's for our grandkids."

Jack Osbourne clarified that the AI is not a general chatbot with his father's likeness but a "a closed AI... not connected to the internet." He explained that the family builds a database using only information that Ozzy Osbourne himself said, or that was written accurately about him. The goal, he stated, is not to pretend his father is still alive, but "making sure he's never forgotten."

Hyperreal's CEO Remington Scott explained that the company uses patented 'Digital DNA' technology to capture an individual's likeness, voice, motion, and performance character. This data is sourced from "authenticated source material: curated, consented, and controlled by the people closest to Ozzy." While the AI will maintain Ozzy Osbourne's characteristic colorful language, Scott noted that "guardrails in place, but they're shaped by the people who know and love him best, not by a corporation sanitising his personality." The digital avatar will be rendered using holographic displays created by Proto Hologram, allowing fans worldwide to interact with a digital recreation of the Black Sabbath icon.