The Osbourne family is pushing back against criticism surrounding its upcoming Ozzy Osbourne AI avatar project, with Jack Osbourne making it clear that preserving his father’s legacy is the driving force behind the technology.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Osbournes Podcast, Jack and Sharon Osbourne addressed backlash from fans who have labelled the digital recreation a “cash grab” following the recent announcement of a partnership with Hyperreal and Proto Hologram.
The project will allow fans to interact with a digital version of the late Black Sabbath icon through life sized holographic displays capable of holding conversations using a custom built artificial intelligence system (per Sonic Perspectives).
Critics have been mislead
According to Jack, many critics fundamentally misunderstand how the technology works:
“What we’re doing — this isn’t, and I’ve said it, this isn’t ChatGPT with dad’s face on it,” he explained.
“It’s a closed A.I., so it’s not connected to the Internet. We built a database, and I cannot emphasize enough that this is the only information that either my dad said or was accurate, or was written accurately about him.”
Sharon was equally direct when responding to accusations that the project is simply a commercial venture:
“I’m not asking you to come. I don’t want your fing money. I don’t need your fing money,” she said.
Ozzy’s legacy
The Osbournes revealed they had been exploring ways to preserve Ozzy‘s legacy for more than a decade, long before his passing last July (2025).
For Jack, maintaining ownership and control over Ozzy’s digital likeness was essential:
“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.”
He also acknowledged that while the project has a business component, the primary goal remains keeping Ozzy connected with future generations of fans:
“And at the end of the day, if keeping Dad alive and accessible to a fan is a cash grab, then f***ing guilty as charged.”
Jack dismissed fears that AI technology could somehow become dangerous, jokingly comparing those concerns to science fiction movies:
“For me, it’s not about pretending he’s still alive. For me, it’s about making sure he’s never forgotten.”
The digital Ozzy experience is scheduled to launch across the United States and United Kingdom later this year, marking one of the most ambitious posthumous projects ever undertaken by the family of a rock icon.
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