The rollout of the A.I. powered digital avatar incarnation of late heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne will begin later this summer across the UK and the United States. The decision to license Ozzy‘s likeness to Hyperreal for this interactive new digital avatar incarnation was announced earlier this week. His widow Sharon and son Jack signed off on the licensing deal, stating that their intention was to preserve the legacy of the Prince Of Darkness. Hyperreal have experience in the digital avatar concert industry, and have partnered with Proto Hologram to achieve this new interactive rendition of Ozzy.
Ozzy‘s new likeness will be presented via Proto Luma ‘holoportation’ devices, which are capable of displaying lifesize digital avatar versions of individuals and more. Using the ‘digital DNA’ of Ozzy, this new incarnation is expected to be interactive, capable of responding and interacting in a manner Ozzy himself would. Hyperreal CEO Remington Scott told Blabbermouth.net of this thus far divisive move:
“Every element of this avatar was built exclusively from authenticated, approved source material: curated, consented, and controlled by the people who love him most. 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.”
Speaking during a recent discussion that announced the project, Jack Osbourne said of the technology being used:
“It’s kind of scary how it’s really very accurate. 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.”
Sharon went on to say:
“You can ask Ozzy anything, and he will answer you in his own voice – and the answers will be what Ozzy would have said. We’re going to take it all around the world. People can talk to him and he will talk back.”
An example of similar technology being employed last year for the launch of the movie ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t‘ can be seen below:
