Artificial intelligence is transforming the way deceased celebrities generate revenue, turning the "dead-celebrity industry" into a highly profitable sector.
A prime example is Michael Jackson, whose estate has accumulated $2 billion since his death, despite the pop icon being $500 million in debt at the time of his passing.
This new wave of technological advancements is breathing life back into old stars, allowing them to continue "working" long after their deaths.
One of the most intriguing projects to emerge involves the AI voice-cloning company ElevenLabs.
In July, the estates of James Dean, Judy Garland, Laurence Olivier, and Burt Reynolds signed on to have their voices digitally cloned for the company’s "iconic voices" initiative. Now, through ElevenLabs' Reader app, fans can listen to these legends narrate anything from classic novels to modern-day articles or even something as mundane as a tax return, reported Bloomberg.
This emerging technology isn’t limited to voice work. AI is being used to digitally recreate the likeness of deceased stars for new films.
James Dean, whose career was cut short by his untimely death in 1955, is set to "star" in Return to Eden, a movie currently in production. Using archived footage, family videos, and advanced machine learning, filmmakers are constructing an AI model of Dean, combining this digital version with body doubles for motion capture and vocal layers.
This process is reminiscent of the controversial CGI recreations of Paul Walker in Furious 7 and Peter Cushing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
As the technology evolves, so does the ethical debate around the use of AI to "resurrect" deceased celebrities.
Critics argue that using an artist’s likeness posthumously, especially to make them say or do things they never did, risks distorting their legacy.
Nevertheless, AI has the potential to alter how the estates of deceased celebrities generate revenue radically.
Mark Roesler, a lawyer who has represented thousands of deceased icons over the years, has facilitated many such deals. His firm, CMG Worldwide, has even partnered with Travis Cloyd’s company, Worldwide XR, which specializes in creating digital humans of stars like Dean.
According to Roesler, AI, and other technologies have made it possible to capitalize on intellectual property in ways previously unimaginable, ensuring that a deceased star’s earnings don't dry up over time.
A prime example of this shift is ABBA Voyage, a concert featuring de-aged, CGI versions of the legendary pop group. Since its debut in London in 2022, the show has earned over $2 million per week. While all members of ABBA are alive, the success of this virtual reality concert suggests that their likenesses could continue generating revenue long after they’re gone.
Yet not everyone is embracing the trend.
Jeff Jampol, who manages the estates of stars like Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, is firmly against AI recreations, viewing them as little more than a passing fad.
For Jampol, preserving an artist’s integrity is paramount, and he refuses to use AI to put words in Morrison's mouth that he never actually said. "That would be a travesty," Jampol insists, arguing that an artist’s legacy is defined by their real-life work and contributions.
Despite these concerns, the demand for AI recreations of deceased celebrities shows no signs of slowing down.
In fact, the next big project, Elvis Evolution, is set to debut in London next year. This immersive experience will feature a digitally recreated version of Elvis Presley, complete with holograms, 3D environments, and even sensory elements like the scent of cotton fields to evoke the atmosphere of rural Mississippi.