Zelda Williams Calls Out AI Deepfakes of Her Late Father, Robin Williams

[etfs]

Zelda Williams, daughter of the late actor Robin Williams, has publicly condemned the use of AI-generated videos recreating her father’s likeness.

“Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad,” she wrote in an Instagram Story on Monday. “If you’ve got any decency, just stop doing this to him and to me… it’s NOT what he’d want.”

Her post comes shortly after the release of OpenAI’s Sora 2 and its companion Sora social app, which allows users to create lifelike deepfakes of people — including the deceased.

While AI-generated portrayals of public figures exist in a legal gray area, U.S. law does not prohibit the defamation of deceased individuals, according to the Student Press Law Center, raising growing ethical and moral concerns around digital likeness rights.

[kelson10]

Completely agree with her stance. Deepfakes of deceased individuals are deeply unethical, especially when done without family consent or context.

[Nahid10]

AI should be used responsibly. What Zelda said is important — we need global standards that protect people’s digital identities even after death.