The proposal, which is awaiting approval from a judge in the Central District of California, stipulates that the team behind the controversial special, titled "George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead," will be permanently prohibited from sharing the hour-long YouTube video on any of its platforms. Furthermore, they will never be allowed to use Carlin's image, voice, or likeness without approval from the comedian's estate.

The settlement comes as a relief to the plaintiffs, who were determined to protect Carlin's legacy and raise awareness about the potential threats posed by AI technology to reputational and intellectual property rights. Joshua Schiller, an attorney for the plaintiffs, expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, "Our goal was to resolve this case expeditiously and have the offending videos removed from the internet so that we could preserve Mr. Carlin's legacy and shine a light on the reputational and intellectual property threat caused by this emerging technology." He further added that the settlement will serve as a blueprint for similar disputes involving AI technology infringing upon the rights of artists or public figures in the future.

The controversial comedy special, which purported to be entirely AI-generated, was uploaded to YouTube in January and faced significant backlash from Carlin's fans. The alleged AI engine responsible for the impersonation, named "Dudesy," claimed to have listened to all of Carlin's material and attempted to imitate his voice, cadence, attitude, and topical preferences. However, many viewers remained skeptical about the authenticity of the special's AI claims.

Following the release of the fake Carlin comedy special, the comedian's estate filed a lawsuit on January 25. The lawsuit targeted the podcast hosts, Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen, along with Dudesy LLC and 20 unidentified individuals associated with the production. The estate accused them of engaging in the unlawful appropriation of Carlin's identity by utilizing his extensive body of work to supposedly train their AI system. At present, neither Sasso nor Kultgen have responded to requests for comment regarding the settlement.

Kelly Carlin, George Carlin's daughter, expressed her satisfaction with the swift settlement and the subsequent removal of the offending video. She hoped that this case would serve as a warning about the potential dangers posed by AI technologies and the urgent need for appropriate safeguards, not just for artists and creatives, but for every individual on Earth.

The settlement serves as a successful resolution to the dispute and underscores the importance of protecting the intellectual property and image rights of artists in the face of emerging technologies such as AI. With this outcome, George Carlin's creative legacy remains intact, while raising awareness about the need for responsible and ethical use of AI in the entertainment industry.