The late Robin Williams’ daughter has publicly protested AI replicas of her famous father. After fans and trolls have been sending her AI images of her father, Zelda Williams went on Instagram to protest the act, referring to the trend as “gross” and “disgusting.”
Zelda Williams Speaks Out
In her Instagram story, she made absolutely clear that she has no use for AI-generated images of her father in her inbox or any other section.
“Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad. Stop believing I wanna see it or that I’ll understand, I don’t and I won’t,” she wrote. “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.”
He ripped into the individuals who were creating these clips, calling them “disgusting, over-processed hotdogs” disrespecting the reputations of actual artists.
“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.”
“This Is Not the Future”
Later, in a second article, Zelda went further, slamming the high-tech industry’s refrain that AI is the next creative revolution.
And please, for the love of ALL THINGS, don’t call it ‘the future.’ AI is just badly rehashing and rehashing the past in hopes that it can be resold. You are watching the Human Centipede of content, and from the very very back end, all the while the mouths at the front sneer and sneer, consume and consume.
Her emotive words show that, in her book, art that is AI-based is not simply insulting, but detrimental to art per se.
Social Media Outrage
The fans came to Zelda’s defense, shocked and amazed that she would have to make such charges.
- “The way people are sending this to his own daughter is actually psychotic what is wrong with y’all.”
- “Can AI just refrain from anything audio, video, or picture related material and just keep providing information?!?!?!”
- “Why is everybody so disgusting AI has gotten really dark and gross nobody ever discusses how dangerous it is.”
- “This is disgusting I just don’t have any patience with people anymore.”
- “It’s tragic that this poor woman has to ask this at all.”
- “How disgusting. How depraved must you be to not only create an AI simulation of a person and then pass that on to the still grieving family of that person. Unforgivable.”
Salvaging Robin’s Legacy
Robin Williams, who passed away in 2014, remains one of the most beloved comedians and actors in Hollywood history. His daughter’s plea highlights a growing concern in entertainment: the ethical use of AI and the exploitation of deceased stars. Zelda’s message cuts through the noise with the reminder that behind every “deepfake” or AI imitation is the real person’s memory, loss, and reputation, one that deserves respect, not as a marketable item.
