Robin Williams’ children have revived his Instagram account to combat artificial intelligence “abuse” of their father.
Cody, Zak and Zelda Williams posted a statement to the account Monday, Aug. 17, weeks after what would have been the late actor and former San Francisco resident’s birthday on July 21.
“As we recognize what would be our Dad’s 75th year, we’re grateful to see new generations discovering his work while longtime fans continue to celebrate the joy he brought into their lives,” they wrote. “As technology evolves, we want this to be a safe, trusted place where the stories, photos, videos, and memories shared reflect his legacy with authenticity, warmth, and care.”
Zak, CEO and co-founder of neurotransmitter health company PYM, previously embraced AI as a means of mental health treatment. But Zelda has long condemned using AI to replicate her father’s likeness, dating back to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, when she called AI recreations of his voice “personally disturbing.”
“Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad,” the “Lisa Frankenstein” director wrote in an Instagram story in 2025. “Stop believing I wanna see it or that I’ll understand, I don’t and I won’t. 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.”
This week, she elaborated on the siblings’ decision to revive their father’s account on her own Instagram story.
“Making that space into one where people can find authentic clips and photos of him is one of the best ways we’ve now found to fight back against rampant AI abuse of his voice and likeness on here,” Zelda wrote, according to Variety.
Robin Williams’ last Instagram post wished Zelda a happy 25th birthday on July 31, 2014. The “Mrs. Doubtfire” star died by suicide weeks later at his Marin County home.
“This is our way of sharing his unique talent and humor with the world, including the moments that made us and so many of you laugh, as we remember our Dad’s extraordinary life and work,” his children concluded in their statement. “He continues to inspire us and delight people all over the world.”
Leave a Reply