Fans of Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne have criticised musician Tom Morello after he shared an AI-generated image of the rock star, who died this week at the age of 76.
Osbourne bid farewell to fans earlier this month with a Black Sabbath reunion show in the British city of Birmingham.
His death led to tributes from fans and musicians. They included Morello's post, which sparked anger among X users.
The backlash over the stylised image – which included deceased rock stars Lemmy, Randy Rhodes and Ronnie James Dio – centred on what many saw as an exploitative and unsettling trend, with users questioning the ethics of sharing such visuals so soon after Osbourne's death.
It is the latest flashpoint in a growing debate: when does using AI to recreate someone's likeness cross the line from tribute to invasion of privacy?
While the tools behind these hyper-realistic images are evolving rapidly, the ethical frameworks and legal protections have not yet caught up.
Deepfakes and grief in digital age
Using AI to recreate the dead or the dying, sometimes referred to as "grief tech" or "digital resurrection", is becoming increasingly common, from fan-made tributes of celebrities to "griefbots" that simulate the voice or personality of a lost loved one.
In an example of grief tech, Canadian Joshua Barbeau last year used Project December, a GPT-3-based chatbot created by Jason Rohrer, to recreate conversations with his dead fiancee from September 2020, eight years after her death.
The chatbot's responses were so convincing that she "said" things like: "Of course it is me. Who else could it be? I am the girl that you are madly in love with."
Mental health experts warn that such recreations can profoundly affect the grieving process.
"The predictable and comforting responses of AI griefbots can create unrealistic expectations for emotional support, which could impact a person's ability to build healthy relationships in the future," said Carolyn Yaffe, a cognitive behaviour therapist at Medcare Camali Clinic in Dubai.
"Some people find comfort and a sense of connection through them. In contrast, others might face negative effects, like prolonged denial, emotional pain, or even feelings of paranoia or psychosis."
Interacting with AI likenesses can blur the lines between memory and reality, potentially distorting a person's emotional recovery, Ms Yaffe said. "These tools may delay acceptance and create a space where people stay connected to digital surrogates instead of moving on," she added. "Grief doesn't fit into neat algorithms."
Lack of legal safeguards
There is limited legal protection against these practices. In the Middle East, specific laws around AI-generated likenesses are still emerging.
Countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia address deepfakes under broader laws related to cyber crimes, defamation, or personal data protection. But there are still no clear regulations dealing with posthumous image rights or the AI-based recreation of people.
Most laws focus on intent to harm, rather than on consent or digital legacy after death.
In the UK, for example, there are no posthumous personality or image rights. Some states in the US, including California and New York, have begun to introduce limited protections, while others do not offer any.
In China, draft legislation has begun to address AI deepfakes.
Denmark, however, has been a pioneer on the issue, proposing a law that would grant people copyright-like control over their image, voice and likeness.
The legislation, expected to pass this year, would allow Danish people to demand the removal of unauthorised deepfake content and seek civil damages, even posthumously, marking the first time such protections would be implemented in Europe.
"Copyright does not protect someone's appearance or voice," said Andres Guadamuz, a reader in intellectual property law at the University of Sussex. "We urgently need to reform image and personality rights to address unauthorised AI depictions, particularly for vulnerable individuals, including the deceased or critically ill, where dignity, consent, and misuse risks are paramount."
Consent, culture and control
Ethical concerns about recreating the image or voice of someone who is critically ill or dead go beyond legal frameworks.
Arda Awais, co-founder of UK-based digital rights collective Identity 2.0, believes that, even when AI tributes are carried out with good intentions, they carry significant risks.
"Even with consent from the deceased, there could be ways a likeness is used which might not be 100 per cent in line with someone's wishes, too. Or how it's use evolves," Ms Awais said.
She added that a one-size-fits-all approach may not be practical across different cultures, emphasising the need for more inclusive and diverse conversations when establishing ethical standards.
While some families or individuals may welcome AI tributes as a means to preserve memories, others may view it as exploitative or harmful, particularly when it involves celebrities, whose images are frequently recycled without their permission.
"Grief is such a personal experience," Ms Yaffe said. "For some, griefbots might provide a moment of relief. But they should be seen as a bridge, not the final destination."
Experts warn that AI should never replace the emotional labour of mourning or the human connections that aid the healing process. "AI-generated responses can completely miss the point, not because the technology is harmful, but because it lacks the essential quality that grief requires – humanity," Ms Yaffe said.
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
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Full Party in the Park line-up
2pm – Andreah
3pm – Supernovas
4.30pm – The Boxtones
5.30pm – Lighthouse Family
7pm – Step On DJs
8pm – Richard Ashcroft
9.30pm – Chris Wright
10pm – Fatboy Slim
11pm – Hollaphonic
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
RESULTS
2.15pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner Shawall, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Majed Al Jahouri (trainer)
2.45pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Anna Bella Aa, Fabrice Veron, Abdelkhir Adam
3.15pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner AF Thayer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
3.45pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner Taajer, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
4.15pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner Jawaal, Jim Crowley, Majed Al Jahouri
4.45pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner Maqaadeer, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
World Sevens Series standing after Dubai
1. South Africa
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
7. Kenya
8. Scotland
9. France
10. Spain
11. Argentina
12. Canada
13. Wales
14. Uganda
15. United States
16. Russia
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
Company%C2%A0profile
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
