Robin Williams' daughter slams "disgusting" AI versions of her father
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Occurred: 2025-
Page published: October 2025
Robin Williams' daughter Zelda has publicly condemned AI-generated videos of her late father as disrespectful, inauthentic and emotionally distressing, raising questions about the use of AI to recreate deceased people.
What happened
What happened
Zelda Williams took to Instagram to denounce AI-generated videos that digitally recreate her late father, Robin Williams, calling the videos "disgusting" and "over-processed hotdogs" that reduce the legacy of real people to crude imitations.
Williams expressed frustration at the spread of the videos, which typically circulate on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and urged people to stop sending her them, emphasising that it wastes time and energy and is not something her father would have wanted.
She argued that AI recreations of her father amount to a violation of artistic integrity and personal respect for her father, and those impacted by his death.
The use of AI to generate content mimicking deceased celebrities has raised wider concerns about consent and legacy preservation in the entertainment industry.
Why it happened
Why it happened
The rise of generative AI technologies, such as OpenAI's Sora video generation tools, enables users to create photorealistic videos of deceased public figures without their consent.
Often made for online entertainment or social media engagement, the videos tend to disregard the emotional and ethical implications for families and fans.
Zelda Williams criticizes this trend as "not art" but a careless recycling of past legacies to be consumed as "horrible TikTok slop," and she stresses that it reduces the profound impact and memory of real people to mere simulated representations.
The lack of adequate regulations and respect for consent in AI content generation is a core issue, with rights holders and families having limited control over such uses.
What it means
What it means
AI-generated videos of deceased people can cause real distress by trivialising the memory and legacy of loved ones lost, and raise broader societal questions about how digital technology intersects with grief and memory.
The Williams incident demonstates the need for video creators to consider protecting the dignity of the people they recreate, and gain the consent of their family.
It also highlights the need for stronger enforcement by platform owners, and sense of responsibility by the providers of AI video generation systems.
System 🤖
System 🤖
Unknown
Developer:
Country: USA
Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts
Purpose: Recreate actor
Technology: Deepfake; Generative AI
Issue: Authenticity; Autonomy
AIAAIC Repository ID: AIAAIC2052
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