JACK OSBOURNE On OZZY OSBOURNE A.I. Avatar: 'For Me It's About Making Sure He's Never Forgotten'

On the latest episode of The Osbournes podcast, Sharon and Jack Osbourne addressed the controversy surrounding the recently announced Ozzy Osbourne A.I. avatar, which is coming to life through a partnership between the Osbourne family, Hyperreal, the digital human technology company behind the patented Digital DNA process, and Proto Hologram. Together they will enable the avatar to have conversations with fans and move, speak and respond as Ozzy would.

Addressing some of the negative feedback the Osbourne family has received for pursuing the Ozzy A.I. avatar, Jack said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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."

Added Sharon: "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 fucking money. I don't need your fucking 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 fucker. 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."

Continued Jack: "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…" "…we'll pass on through our family," Sharon chimed in. "And it's for our grandkids. And that's it, and I don't have to justify anything to any fucker out there."

Jack added: "And at the end of the day, if keeping Dad alive and accessible to a fan is cash grab, then fucking guilty as charged because at the end of the day, entertainment and the industry that we're in, none of this is for fucking 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."

"Someone said, 'Oh, it's dangerous. You can't control it,'" Jack continued. "And I was, like, 'What the fuck 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 added: "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 said: "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 went on to say: "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."

After Jack noted that "everyone seems to be yeah about the Michael Jackson movie that's made nearly a billion dollars," Sharon concurred. "And good for his family," she said. "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."

Jack concluded: "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 fucking web sites for their bands."

Sharon added: "Listen, ABBA have a show, and they're not even fucking 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."

Digital Ozzy will appear in Proto Luma units — described as life-size, patented holoportation devices that can display live or pre-recorded content with its 86-inch multi-touch volumetric display, 4K resolution, high fidelity speakers, and spatial computing / conversational A.I. capabilities — in the U.K. and U.S. beginning late summer.

Proto is the original hologram and A.I. spatial compute platform used globally in entertainment, healthcare, education, finance, retail and more. Hyperreal's Digital DNA technology is the only patented end-to-end system for capturing and performing an authenticated avatar across likeness, voice, motion, and performance character.

"Every element of this avatar was built exclusively from authenticated, approved source material: curated, consented, and controlled by the people who love him most," Hyperreal CEO Remington Scott said in a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "This is a living performance, not a rendering; and it draws from nothing that wasn't given willingly. We have the enthusiastic participation of Ozzy's family, and that changes everything about what this can be."

"It's an honor to be trusted to bring one of true gods of rock back to the world to continue to connect with fans — thank you, Sharon and Jack!" added David Nussbaum, founder of Proto Hologram. "We wouldn't do it if we didn't know both of our company's technologies will create an experience that truly extends Ozzy's presence, his heart and soul, into the future."

"The things that you can do with that are just endless," Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Obourne said on May 20 during a talk called "The Enduring Legacy Of A Rock Icon And His Family: Ozzy Osbourne And The Osbournes" on the License Global main stage at Licensing Expo at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Hyperreal previously created a life-sized, A.I.-powered avatar of late comic book legend Stan Lee that interacted with attendees at last year's Los Angeles Comic Con. Comic Con visitors were able to pay $15 to speak to the holographic Lee, who responded in what appeared to be accurate A.I.-generated responses in Lee's familiar voice. Hyperreal had also developed digital avatars of Paul McCartney, the Notorious B.I.G. and Mike Tyson.

"It's kind of scary how it's really very accurate," Ozzy's son Jack said at Licensing Expo. "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."

"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 added. "We're going to take it all around the world. People can talk to him and he will talk back."

Back in December 2023, Ozzy was asked during an episode of "The Osbournes" podcast if he would ever consider possibly making a song with a artificial intelligence-generated version of his late guitarist Randy Rhoads, and if not Randy, maybe another rock star like John Lennon (THE BEATLES),or somebody that Ozzy's always looked up to. Ozzy replied: "I haven't considered it yet, but as far as me doing something like what the remaining BEATLES did with the John Lennon thing," referencing the recently released "Now And Then", featuring the voices of all four original BEATLES performers, with surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr essentially finishing what was initially an old demo recording by John Lennon, "that was a partial song and they cleaned the track up. I don't think I have anything left of Randy Rhoads."

When Jack asked if Ozzy would be open to using A.I. to study the way Randy Rhoads played and make a new song in a similar style, Ozzy said: "Well, you know what? I'm open for anything, if it was good quality. 'Cause, let's face it, that BEATLES thing, 'Now And Then', wasn't a BEATLES song; it was a John Lennon song."

"The thing with A.I., you can go, 'Make me a new album.' … But that's the future," Ozzy said. "The music scene's gonna be completely different."

Asked if it makes him nervous, Ozzy said simply: "No."

Ozzy added: "The cat's out of the bag. You can't undo it. The danger is people will misuse it. Because I'll get like a formula for a song and I'll put that formula in and I'll keep on doing that."

"The Enduring Legacy Of A Rock Icon And His Family: Ozzy Osbourne And The Osbournes" was moderated by Jens Drinkwater, head of licensing at Global Merchandising Services, and Lisa Streff, senior vice president of licensing and brand development at Global Merchandising Services. Global Merchandising Services continues to expand the Ozzy Osbourne licensing program through new collections, collaborations, products, and fan experiences designed to connect with both longtime fans and new audiences.

Ozzy Osbourne, known globally as the Prince Of Darkness, remains one of the most influential figures in music, entertainment, and popular culture. From redefining heavy metal with BLACK SABBATH to building a solo career that became a global phenomenon, Ozzy's influence has reached across generations, geographies, and cultures.

That impact expanded even further with "The Osbournes", the groundbreaking reality series that helped redefine celebrity television and brought an unfiltered, deeply human portrait of rock and roll family life into homes around the world. As the show approaches its 25th anniversary in 2027, the Osbourne family brand is entering a new phase of growth, with renewed focus on storytelling, fan engagement, licensing, and strategic partnerships.

Interest in Ozzy's legacy continues to build across multiple major projects, including the upcoming Ozzy Osbourne biopic, a highly anticipated screen project exploring his extraordinary life and career. Additional fan moments, including the upcoming "Back To The Beginning" Ozzy and BLACK SABBATH theatrical project and the return of Ozzfest in 2027, are further driving global excitement around one of music's most enduring cultural icons.

Ozzy's licensing program continues to expand across fashion collaborations, collectibles, accessories, lifestyle products, and emerging digital opportunities, all rooted in the authenticity, edge, humor, and rebellious spirit that define the brand. At the same time, the Osbournes family brand is being developed for new categories and partnerships that reflect the family's signature voice, humor, and cultural relevance.

Ozzy died on July 22, 2025 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate also reportedly said the 76-year-old musician suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

Eleven months ago, Osbourne reunited with the rest of the original BLACK SABBATH lineup — guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — for what was his final performance at the "Back To The Beginning" charity concert in their original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

In June 2025, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery unveiled a special exhibition dedicated to the life and career of Ozzy. Titled "Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero", the pop-up has received over 450,000 visitors since it opened and has now been extended to September 2026.

"Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero" showcases Ozzy's most prestigious international honors, including Grammy Awards, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame accolades, MTV awards, Hollywood Walk Of Fame, Birmingham Walk Of Stars honors and a selection of his platinum and gold discs.

Earlier this year, Sharon confirmed that the Ozzfest traveling festival would return in 2027 as a two-day event in Birmingham, United Kingdom. She also shared plans to take the festival for another two days in the U.S., adding: "We've got to find a lot of young, new talent".

Photo credit: Ross Halfin