Sharon and Jack Osbourne have spoken out about the recently announced Ozzy Osbourne AI avatar project, pushing back against criticism that the initiative is a cash grab, in a video shared on The Osbournes.
Sharon addressed the backlash directly, defending both the technology and her motivations for keeping her late husband’s legacy alive.
“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*cking money. I don’t need your f*cking money. I’m doing very well, actually, and I always have my entire life,” she said.
Sharon also pushed back on the notion that the project dishonors Ozzy’s memory, recalling conversations she had with him about how long he would be remembered after his passing.
“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,'” she continued.
She went on to emphasize that the project has been in development for a decade and that she has no obligation to explain her decisions to critics.
“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*cker. 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?” she said. “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.”
Jack Osbourne also weighed in, clarifying the technical nature of the AI being used and addressing the commercial criticism head-on.
“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,” he said.
“And at the end of the day, if keeping Dad alive and accessible to a fan is cash grab, then f*cking guilty as charged because at the end of the day, entertainment and the industry that we’re in, none of this is for f*cking 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,” Jack added.
The Osbourne family’s comments come as the project continues to draw attention and evolving details from those closest to it. As Metal Insider reported, the Ozzy Osbourne AI-powered digital avatar project has continued generating conversation as new details have emerged since its initial announcement.
A key point the family has stressed is the long gestation period behind the project. Sharon confirmed that the AI avatar has been in development for 10 years, directly countering the narrative that the project was hastily assembled to capitalize on Ozzy’s death, as Metal Insider noted.
The technical safeguards built into the system have also been a central part of the family’s defense. Jack emphasized that the avatar operates as a closed AI system with no internet connection. It can only draw from a curated database of verified information about Ozzy — not from the broader web, Metal Insider reported.
The Osbourne family has not announced a release date for the AI avatar as of yet. The family appears focused on getting the project right rather than rushing it to market, consistent with Sharon and Jack’s insistence that the initiative is rooted in preserving Ozzy’s legacy with integrity, per Metal Insider.
