Cliff Notes – Late Hollywood star’s daughter begs fans to stop sending her ‘disgusting’ AI images of him
- Zelda Williams, daughter of the late Robin Williams, has publicly condemned the creation and sharing of AI-generated content featuring her father’s likeness, calling it “gross” and disrespectful.
- She expressed her frustration on Instagram, urging people to stop sending her AI videos of her father, stating that such content diminishes his legacy and is not what he would have wanted.
- Zelda has previously described the use of AI to replicate her father’s voice and image as disturbing, emphasising the importance of preserving the integrity of human performance in the arts.
Late Hollywood star’s daughter begs fans to stop sending her ‘disgusting’ AI images of him
The daughter of a Hollywood star has called out people creating AI content with his image (Picture: Peter Kramer/ Getty Images)
The daughter of late Hollywood star Robin Williams has slammed people sending her ‘gross’ images of him.
The comedy legend, who starred in films including Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire and Jumanji, died by suicide aged 63 in August 2014.
In the years since, his family, friends and fans have regularly paid tribute to the star, but a new trend in making images and videos of him using AI has drawn the ire of his daughter, Zelda Williams.
This week the actress and director, 36, begged people to stop making AI-generated content.
‘Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad,’ she wrote in a post on Instagram.
‘Stop believing I wanna see it or that I’ll understand, I don’t and I won’t.
Robin Williams died by suicide in 2014 (Picture: Albert Chau/ FilmMagic)
His daughter Zelda is being sent ‘gross’ AI content in her late father’s likeness (Picture: Michael Tran/ FilmMagic)
‘If you’re just trying to troll me, I’ve seen way worse, I’ll restrict and move on. But please, if you’ve got any decency, just stop doing this to him and to me, to everyone even, full stop. It’s dumb, it’s a waste of time and energy, and believe me, it’s NOT what he’d want.’
She went on to write: ‘To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to “this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that’s enough”, just so other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening.
‘You’re not making art, you’re making disgusting, over-processed hotdogs out of the lives of human beings, out of the history of art and music, and then shoving them down someone else’s throat hoping they’ll give you a little thumbs up and like it. Gross.’
‘And for the love of EVERYTHING, stop calling it “the future”. AI is just badly recycling and regurgitating the past to be reconsumed. You are taking in the Human Centipede of content, and from the very very end of the line, all while the folks at the front laugh and laugh, consume and consume.’
She posted a lengthy statement online (Picture: Zelda Williams/ Instagram)
Zelda previously called the practice ‘disturbing’ (Picture: Alexandra Wyman/ WireImage)
Zelda, whose mother is Williams’ second wife Marsha Garces, made her screen debut aged five and is best known for voicing Kuvira in the Nickelodeon series The Legend of Korra.
She’s previously been vocal in opposing the creation of AI-generated images in the likeness of her late father.
In 2023 she shared online: ‘I’ve already heard AI used to get his “voice” to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my own feelings.
‘Living actors deserve a chance to create characters with their choices, to voice cartoons, to put their HUMAN effort and time into the pursuit of performance.’
One of her father’s best known roles was in Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon (Picture: AP)
Last month Hollywood came out in force to condemn the creation of AI actress Tilly Norwood, who was dubbed ‘the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman’.
However, the move was branded ‘gross’, with Emily Blunt expressing her concern over the development and agencies who had suggested they would sign Norwood.
‘That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary, Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.’
Defending the AI actress her creator, comedian and technologist Eline Van der Velden said Norwood ‘was not a replacement for a human being, but a piece of art’.
Comment now
Comments
Puzzles Newsletter
Get your favourite puzzles sent directly to you every day!