Zelda Williams, an actress, director, and the daughter of the late Robin Williams, recently expressed her dismay on Instagram regarding what she describes as “disgusting” AI reproductions of her father. She urged people to refrain from sending her AI-generated videos of her dad, emphasizing that she neither wants nor comprehends such content. Williams made it clear that she would block individuals attempting to upset her and issued a plea for others to cease these actions.
Robin Williams tragically passed away in 2014 by suicide at the age of 63, with an autopsy revealing he had Lewy body dementia. Zelda Williams criticized the reduction of real people’s legacies into AI recreations that lack depth, stating that it diminishes the essence of individuals for the sake of shallow entertainment on platforms like TikTok.
Her recent comments echo sentiments she expressed in 2023, when the American acting union SAG-AFTRA highlighted AI as a critical negotiation point during a strike. Williams condemned AI recreations of her father as “personally disturbing” and an infringement on artistic integrity that extends beyond her own emotions.
The debate surrounding AI-generated content has become increasingly prominent in various industries, from AI-assisted literary works winning awards to the emergence of AI-generated music and the manipulation of visual media through generative AI technologies. The use of AI in Hollywood has sparked discussions about the impact on human performance in the film industry, with agreements between unions and studios emphasizing the importance of human creativity in motion pictures.
As the conversation between unions and studios unfolds, Williams’s remarks draw attention to the broader implications of AI utilization by the general public through accessible generative AI tools. The release of advanced AI models like Sora 2 by OpenAI has raised concerns about the potential misuse of AI-generated content and its implications for copyright protection.
In response to the growing prevalence of AI-generated content, legal disputes have arisen, such as Disney and Universal’s actions against an AI image generator for alleged copyright infringements. Industry figures like filmmaker Werner Herzog and Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki have voiced skepticism and criticism toward AI-driven creative works, highlighting concerns about the soullessness and lack of emotional depth in AI-generated content.