Carl Sagan’s Estate Sues Luma Over AI Product’s Use of…
The estate of astronomer Carl Sagan has filed a lawsuit against Luma AI Inc for the unauthorized use of his voice in an advertisement for their Ray 3.14…
- Incident date
- Aug 2026
- Target
- Carl Sagan
On August 25, 2026, the estate of renowned astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan initiated legal action against Luma AI Inc. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, alleges copyright infringement and false endorsement regarding the unauthorized use of Sagan's voice in promotional material for the company's AI product, Ray 3.14.
What happened
Druyan-Sagan Associates, the entity managing the intellectual property rights to Sagan’s legacy—including his iconic 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage—brought the suit forward. The company is managed by Ann Druyan, Sagan’s widow and an Emmy-winning producer. The legal complaint centers on the unlicensed synthesis of Sagan’s voice for commercial purposes within an advertisement for Luma AI’s Ray 3.14 technology. This litigation highlights the growing trend of celebrities and their estates taking legal measures to exert control over the use of their likeness and voice in generative AI products.