'Have some shame': Robin Williams’ daughter on the AI clips putting conspiracies in his mouth
Robin Williams moved his publicity rights into a foundation in 2012 with a 25-year restriction attached. His children have reopened his Instagram.
AI fakery strikes again, this time dragging Robin Williams into the mess — or rather, dragging his family back into the firing line. Earlier today, Robin's daughter Zelda Williams decided she'd had enough: she hopped onto social media for a pretty no-nonsense takedown of viral videos that supposedly show her father spouting conspiracy theories. Spoiler alert: they're as fake as a three-pound note, and Zelda wants people to stop blithely sharing them around like they're clips from Good Will Hunting outtakes.
That supposedly ‘private video’ of dad that I’ve been shown talking about conspiracies is clearly AI, and not even particularly convincing AI,
For those wondering exactly how lifelike these clips are (or aren't), Zelda's verdict was straightforward: only someone who’d watched all his films with the sound off could mistake that robotic gibberish for the real Williams. She didn’t just call out the technology, though — she had some sharp words for the folks making and promoting these things, accusing them of treating her dad as little more than a puppet for their own 'delusional rubbish.' She also pointed her finger at the so-called ‘cesspool’ that is X (aka Twitter), saying the place is overrun with bots and people who seemingly want to be fooled by them.
It’s mostly bots and people willingly being duped by bots at this point so not sure why I feel the need to come back to clarify, but I love him, so I will. Just because he’s gone does not mean he’s now your puppet.
Ongoing fight against AI misuse
This isn’t the first time Zelda’s had to step in. It's been nearly a year since her last warning about AI-generated deepfakes of her father, and she’s stayed consistently staunch: these videos are not just disrespectful, they're not a legitimate way for anyone to try and cash in. She went further in a follow-up, making it crystal clear she sees no future in using AI-Robin for any sort of monetisation — not now, not ever.
Robin Williams' legacy and legal safeguards
One of the more unexpected twists: back in 2012, Robin transferred the rights to his likeness, signature, name, and photographs into the Windfall Foundation, via his trust. That move wasn't just for show; he slapped on an explicit restriction as well. Nobody’s allowed to commercially exploit those 'publicity rights' for a full 25 years after his death. So even if someone did want to try — legally or otherwise — they’d hit a bit of a wall until at least 2039.
Robin Williams’ likeness and name can’t be used commercially until 2039, thanks to a restriction he put in place years before his death.
Zelda has pointed fans towards an alternative if they actually want to remember Williams for who he was, rather than what dodgy AI wants him to be. Earlier this year, Robin’s kids reactivated his old Instagram account, setting it up as a place for stories and photos celebrating his real life and work, with the added purpose of pushing back against rampant AI abuse.
Robin Williams has been gone for over a decade now, but the urge to profit off his image clearly hasn’t faded. For the record, his final credited project was Disney’s Once Upon a Studio in 2020 — and yes, even then, Disney relied on old archived audio to bring his voice back, not machine-learning magic.