Robin Williams' daughter Zelda hits back at 'disturbing' AI recreations of father

Virgin Radio

2 Oct 2023, 15:28

Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda has called AI recreations of her father disturbing in a recent social media post.

Taking to her Instagram, the actress referenced the ongoing actors strike in the US when she wrote on her stories: “I am not an impartial voice in SAG’s fight against AI.”

She continued: “I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/recreate actors who cannot consent, like Dad.

“This isn’t theoretical, it is very very real,” she stressed. “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.”

One of the demands of the SAG-AFTRA strike is for the studios, streaming companies and producers represented by the AMPTP to agree to regulations regarding the use of AI in the industry.

Zelda reflected this as she continued her statement: “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.

“These recreations are, at their very best, a poor facsimile of greater people, but at their worst, a horrendous Frankensteinian monster,” she said, “Cobbled together from the worst bits of everything this industry is, instead of what it should stand for.”

Hopes regarding whether the studios, streamers and producers would be willing to agree to the demands of the actors currently on strike in the US were originally low, but have been raised since the WGA’s writers strike successfully ended with an “exceptional” agreement in September.

SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP returned to negotiations on 2nd October.