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Artificial intelligence has found itself steeped in plenty of controversy since taking the world by storm, and its impact on art and the ethics of harnessing it to create content involving real people are hot topics of debate. Those issues have become a point of concern for Robin Williams’ daughter, and she made it very clear she is not a fan of fans using the technology in an attempt to bring her father back to life.
August marked the 11th anniversary of the passing of Robin Williams, the comedy legend who took his own life at the age of 63 after being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia.
Williams left behind three children, including his daughter Zelda. The 36-year-old has also made a name for herself in the entertainment industry (she is best known for her work as a voice actor but also directed 2024’s Lisa Frankenstein), and she’s had a front row seat to the impact artificial intelligence has had on that particular realm.
She’s unfortunately had to grapple with some of those implications on a personal level as well as on a professional one, and she decided to speak out against a trend that’s understandably gotten under her skin.
Robin Williams’ daughter spoke out against A.I. videos of her father while making it clear she has no interest in watching them
Robin Williams left behind an incredible legacy defined by his performance in comedy classics including Mrs. Doubtfire and Aladdin as well as more dramatic roles in Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society.
There’s no shortage of projects you can turn to if you want to remember what he was capable of, but that hasn’t stopped more than a few people from harnessing A.I. to whip up videos nobody really asked for—including Zelda, who railed against that practice on her Instagram on Monday.
ZeldaWilliams-Instagram
ZeldaWilliams-Instagram
Zelda had already pushed back against A.I. while criticizing the Studio Ghibli trend that took the internet by storm earlier this year, and she drew a line in the sand while pushing back against the people who’ve insisted on sending her A.I. videos of her dad, referring to the practice as “making disgusting, over-processed hot dogs out of the lives of human beings.”
Well said.