Monty Python icon Eric Idle has voiced concerns over the unchecked use of artificial intelligence (AI) to replicate artists’ likenesses and work. Speaking to the PA news agency, the 82-year-old comedian said performers “ought to protect ourselves” through copyright. Idle revealed that his wife is particularly anxious about what could happen to his image after his death, adding with characteristic irreverence: “She’s going to copyright my image, I won’t be there, so I don’t really give a…”
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The issue comes amid a rise in AI-generated content imitating well-known public figures. Actress Scarlett Johansson recently criticised OpenAI after claiming that a ChatGPT voice sounded “eerily similar” to her own. In response, the company paused the use of the voice in question. Idle acknowledged that AI can produce competent imitations of past artists — citing The Beatles as an example — but stressed that the technology lacks true creativity.
Recalling a recent conversation with Professor Brian Cox, Idle explained that an AI-generated Monty Python sketch failed to land a single joke. “It mentioned a few things from Python, but it couldn’t put them together in a new and funny manner,” he said. He echoed Stephen Fry’s view that while AI can regurgitate facts, it cannot replicate the emotional depth of poetry or the personality-driven creativity of performers like Billy Connolly or Robin Williams. “It can’t be Spike Milligan,” he concluded. “What they do comes from their own personalities.”
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Idle returns to the UK this September with a solo tour, performing at venues including the Royal Albert Hall in London and Glasgow’s Armadillo. He will honour late friends George Harrison, Robin Williams, and Neil Innes, appearing with a virtual band. Best known for Monty Python’s Flying Circus and its spin-off films, Idle also co-created Beatles parody band The Rutles, cementing his place as one of British comedy’s enduring figures.
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