Sharon Osbourne announces Ozzy Osbourne's AI Avatar, Digital Ozzy

Sharon Osbourne has announced that a lifelike AI avatar of the late Ozzy Osbourne is officially on the way - a project she says will allow the Prince of Darkness to keep connecting with fans in a completely new era of digital performance.

The reveal came during her talk, The Enduring Legacy of a Rock Icon and His Family: Ozzy Osbourne and The Osbournes, on the License Global main stage at Licensing Expo, where she confirmed that “Digital Ozzy” is already deep in development through a partnership between Hyperreal and Proto Hologram.

Hyperreal - the company behind the patented Digital DNA process - is building Ozzy’s authenticated avatar, while Proto will power the holographic presence that allows the virtual Ozzy to appear, move and speak in real time.

Together, the companies say the technology will enable the avatar to hold conversations with fans and respond exactly as Ozzy would.

Sharon told the audience she was stunned by the creative potential of the project.

She said: “The things that you can do with that are just endless."