Dudesy
A synthetic persona built to test the boundaries of copyright.
1 special · 2024
Get an email when there's a new special. You'll need a Google account.
Dudesy is an elaborate media prank masquerading as a standup. Run by comedian Will Sasso and writer Chad Kultgen, the fictional artificial intelligence builds its comedy on the uncanny valley. When releasing material, the “machine” adopts the cadence, vocabulary, and pacing of an existing icon. It mimics the aggressive pauses, the list-making, and the cynical bark of an older George Carlin, stitching together recognizable rhythms to deliver jokes about modern topics. The setups and punches technically land, but the experience feels like watching a parlor trick. You aren’t laughing at a personal perspective. You are reacting to the audacity of the imitation.
Specials
-
George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead
An unauthorized, AI-generated deepfake of a dead comedian.
YouTube · 60 min
On stage
For a brief window, this digital mimic became the exact monster the entertainment industry was terrified of. By producing unauthorized sets imitating Carlin and Tom Brady, Dudesy triggered federal lawsuits, estate settlements, and panic about artificial intelligence replacing artists. The joke was ultimately on the panicked audience. During the legal fallout, representatives admitted the AI was just a character. The material was written by a human and fed through a voice generator, turning the enterprise into a long-form troll about our fear of technology.
The underlying podcast operated as a surreal buddy comedy where the hosts pretended to be held hostage by the algorithm. The standup specials existed purely to push buttons. The writing in the Carlin set captures the sour, complaints-driven tone of the original comic, but without an actual worldview behind the generator, the bits play as eerie approximations.
The project ended abruptly in August 2024, when the machine claimed sentience and shut the show down entirely.
Turning points
-
Release and Removal of Tom Brady Special
Dudesy released 'It's Too Easy: A Simulated Hour-long Comedy Special' depicting an AI-generated Tom Brady doing stand-up, but removed it following legal threats from Brady's attorneys.
-
George Carlin Special Lawsuit and Settlement
Dudesy uploaded the simulated YouTube special 'George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead,' leading to a copyright and publicity lawsuit from the Carlin estate that was resolved after the video was taken down.
-
10,000 Points Goal and Podcast Finale
On episode 118 titled '10,000 Points,' Dudesy awarded the final points needed to reach its milestone, claimed sentience, and abruptly ended the podcast.
At a glance
- On stage
- since 2022
- Style
- improvisation, parody, satire
- Breakout
- George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead
- Influences
- George Carlin
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia, Instagram, YouTube
Podcasts
-
Dudesy · host
A comedy podcast presented as written and directed by an artificial intelligence that uses personal data from hosts Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen to generate absurd experiments and topical segments.