During the latest episode of “The Osbournes” podcast, Sharon Osbourne and Jack Osbourne forcefully defended their decision to develop a digital avatar of the late heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne. The digital recreation is being produced through a partnership between the Osbourne family, digital human technology company Hyperreal, and Proto Hologram. The project aims to allow fans to interact with a responsive, moving avatar of the iconic frontman.
Addressing the negative feedback the family has received since announcing the project, Jack Osbourne emphasized that the technology relies strictly on a closed database of verified information rather than generative open-source models.
Jack explained: “What we’re doing — this isn’t, and I’ve said it, this isn’t ChatGPT with dad’s face on it. It’s a closed A.I., so it’s not connected to the Internet. We build a database, and I cannot emphasize enough is that this is only information that either my dad said or was accurate, or was written accurately about him.”
Sharon Osbourne was equally blunt in her response to detractors, arguing that the project is simply a modern extension of preserving an artist’s legacy.
Sharon fired back: “Why go on a jet when there’s a propeller? What are you doing? 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**king money. I don’t need your f**king money. I’m doing very well, actually, and I always have my entire life… And the thing is, for somebody to turn around to me and say I’m doing a cash grab — no, you don’t know my husband, okay? I know my husband, and 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?’ And I’d go, ‘I just don’t know, ’cause I’ll be probably going with you, so don’t ask me.’ But the thing was, for 10 years we have been exploring it. And the thing is I don’t have to justify why we do to any f**ker. I don’t have to justify. What do they think we’re gonna do? I’m gonna hock my husband around selling Weed Killer on an ad or selling cigarettes or beer? Do you think I’m gonna do that? … And we’re moving with the times… It’s like saying, Why do you need a CD when you have a vinyl record?’ You move with the times. And this is great technology, and I’m not gonna let anyone bastardize my husband.”
The family stressed that retaining absolute control over the digital rights is paramount to protecting the singer’s image.
Jack noted: “The most important thing for me is that when we create this digital imprint of Dad, we create it, we own it, we control it. And it’s something that…”
Sharon chimed in to finish his thought: “…we’ll pass on through our family. And it’s for our grandkids. And that’s it, and I don’t have to justify anything to any f**ker out there.”
Pushing back against the financial criticisms, Jack pointed out that while the entertainment industry is a business, the primary goal is legacy preservation without sacrificing control to unpredictable technology.
Jack stated: “And at the end of the day, if keeping Dad alive and accessible to a fan is cash grab, then f**king guilty as charged because at the end of the day, entertainment and the industry that we’re in, none of this is for f**king charity… But the technology that we are utilizing, it is not Claude or ChatGPT that you can ask it any question about anything. It’s a closed A.I. module that is not connected to the Internet.”
Addressing safety concerns regarding artificial intelligence, Jack added: “Someone said, ‘Oh, it’s dangerous. You can’t control it,’ and I was, like ‘What the f**k do you think this is, Terminator? It’s gonna go sentient and next thing you know Ozzy‘s gonna launch the nukes? But I think, for me, it’s not about pretending he’s still alive. For me it’s about making sure he’s never forgotten.”
Sharon agreed: “And why should he be? You can go and buy books that were written 200 years ago, and they are still… Today’s youth is reading books from two, three hundred years ago. Is that a crime? Should we still keep printing them, guys? Should we maybe do a paperback? You can get it online. Oh, shock, golly, that’s terrible.”
Jack expanded on the comparison: “Or you can get an audiobook. I can buy an audiobook with a famous person reading Shakespeare. ‘Oh, how dare you exploit Shakespeare‘s work by having [an audiobook]?’ Like, ‘That’s not how it was meant to be written.'”
Sharon remarked on the impossibility of pleasing everyone: “Listen, it’s redundant. It’s redundant because whatever you do, Jack, there is always 50% that are with you and 50% that aren’t. Nobody in the world everybody goes, ‘Yeah.’ There’s always somebody with that little soapbox.”
To further illustrate their point, the hosts pointed to other successful legacy projects, such as the blockbuster Michael Jackson biographical film.
Sharon praised the film’s impact on younger audiences: “And good for his family. Good for his family. Really. And there’s two generations that missed out on him, and all those little kids are now dancing to ‘Thriller‘ and ‘Billie Jean‘ and all those great classics that he was a part of. And it’s, like, what is so wrong in that? Great music doesn’t date. It’s like saying that you take a piece of classical music and you put it in a rock band. Is that disrespectful? Is that terrible? You’re just moving forward with technology. That’s all.”
Looking ahead, Jack predicted this technology will soon be standard across the entertainment industry: “And as I said, either we’re gonna do it or someone else is in 50, 20 years, whatever. This will become the norm for every well-known person. Just like when people started creating f**king web sites for their bands.”
Sharon concluded by pointing out that even active acts are utilizing the format: “Listen, ABBA have a show, and they’re not even f**king dead. They’ve got three shows in London. Three shows. One avatar, ‘Mamma Mia!‘, and then there’s another one that they have like a supper club thing that they do. Three shows in London at the same time.”
Speaking during a May 22 livestream on his YouTube channel, Jack responded to the backlash that followed the announcement of the initiative, which is being created through a collaboration between Hyperreal, the company behind the patented Digital DNA technology, and Proto Hologram. The project is intended to produce an interactive digital version of Ozzy capable of speaking, moving, and reacting in a highly realistic manner. Together, the two companies will install the interactive avatar inside Proto Luma units across both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Jack also rejected the idea that the project is merely a simple chatbot or basic visual overlay, stressing that a significant amount of technology and development has gone into it.
“Here’s the thing: it’s gonna be so tasteful what we’re doing. It’s not gonna be f**king lame… And it’s really complex what we’re doing. This isn’t just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. This is going to be… Yeah. 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. But it’s awesome. It’s really cool, and it’s something that I think my dad would be into. ‘Cause we actually talked about it before he passed, about doing something like this. So, yeah. I know he would be into this,” he said at the time.
During Wednesday’s “The Enduring Legacy Of A Rock Icon And His Family: Ozzy Osbourne And The Osbournes” panel at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, Sharon Osbourne and Jack Osbourne revealed that the upcoming artificial intelligence avatar of Ozzy Osbourne will be officially deployed inside specialized, life-size hologram machines starting late this summer.
The hardware itself consists of patented, freestanding holoportation devices equipped with an 86-inch multi-touch volumetric display. Operating in 4K resolution with built-in high-fidelity speakers, the units integrate spatial computing and conversational A.I. capabilities. This setup allows the digital version of Ozzy Osbourne to hold real-time, bidirectional conversations with fans. Proto’s spatial compute platform is already utilized globally across industries like entertainment, retail, and healthcare, while Hyperreal holds the exclusive patented end-to-end system for executing authenticated multi-sensory avatars across voice, likeness, and performance character.
During the initial announcement, Jack Osbourne said following regarding the avatar’s capabilities:
“It’s kind of scary how it’s really very accurate. 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.”
Sharon Osbourne echoed the endless possibilities of the technology, emphasizing that fans across the globe will eventually be able to interact with the late singer in real-time. Discussing the ultimate goal of the project, she explained:
“The things that you can do with that are just endless. You can ask 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.”
Beyond the ambitious A.I. avatar project, the panel outlined several major upcoming endeavors designed to celebrate the frontman’s enduring cultural impact. Fans can look forward to a highly anticipated biographical film, a special “Back To The Beginning” theatrical project centered around Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, and the official return of the Ozzfest festival in 2027.
The Osbourne family is also preparing for the upcoming 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking reality television series, “The Osbournes“, arriving in 2027. To coincide with the milestone, the family is focusing heavily on expanding their licensing program across fashion collaborations, collectibles, and lifestyle products that reflect the authentic, rebellious spirit of the brand.
Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22, 2025, at the age of 76, following a fatal heart attack. According to his death certificate, the legendary musician had also been suffering from coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease.
