Jack Osbourne and his mother, Sharon Osbourne, recently announced the controversial return of Ozzy Osbourne as an AI-powered avatar during a discussion at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. The announcement, made on Wednesday, May 20, revealed a partnership with digital human technology company Hyperreal. This collaboration aims to create an Ozzy avatar capable of engaging in conversations with fans, moving, speaking, and responding in a manner consistent with Ozzy's own personality and style, as stated by Hyperreal.

According to Jack Osbourne, the accuracy of the avatar is remarkably high, stating at the event, "It’s kind of scary how it’s really very accurate. He will exist digitally as himself for as long as we have computers." Hyperreal confirmed that the Ozzy avatar is slated to debut in late summer 2026, appearing in life-sized, interactive touchscreens across the U.S. and U.K.

However, the news of Ozzy Osbourne's posthumous return as an AI avatar was met with significant backlash online. Many fans expressed criticism, viewing the concept as disrespectful or an overly commercial exploitation of the iconic Black Sabbath frontman's memory. Ozzy Osbourne passed away in July 2025 at the age of 76. One user on X lamented, "Poor dude’s soul was literally floating away but was quickly lassoed by Sharon and then yanked back down to earth, where he’ll be on digital life support and forced to continue dancing for every sad soul who wants to ask him a question…except it’s not even him." Another critic added, "Wow! A year hasn’t even passed since Ozzy’s passing and they are already trying to commercialize and profit from his memory." A third skeptic commented, "Can’t just let his legacy speak for itself, this would be f—kin disgraceful."

In response to the online criticism, Jack Osbourne addressed the concerns during a YouTube livestream. He vehemently defended the project, assuring fans of its quality and integrity. "Here’s the thing, it’s gonna be so tasteful what we’re doing. It’s not gonna be f—king lame," he asserted. Jack emphasized the advanced nature of the technology involved, clarifying, "It’s really complex what we’re doing. This isn’t just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. 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." Furthermore, Jack revealed that the idea of an AI representation had been discussed with his father prior to his passing. "It’s really cool, and it’s something that I think my dad would be into," he explained. "We actually talked about it before he passed, about doing something like this. So, yeah. I know he would be into this."