Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda said she’s not happy about her father’s voice being recreated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
“I am not an impartial voice in SAG’s fight against AI. I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/re-create actors who cannot consent, like Dad,” the 34-year-old actress wrote on her Instagram Story on Sunday, per Deadline.
“This isn’t theoretical, it is very very real. 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.”
“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,” Zelda continued. “These re-creations are, at their very best, a poor facsimile of greater people, but at their worst, a horrendous Frankensteinian monster, cobbled together from the worst bits of everything this industry is, instead of what it should stand for.”
The comedian and beloved actor Robin Williams committed suicide in 2014 when he was 63. He had been diagnosed with anxiety, severe depression and Parkinson’s disease. Robin’s autopsy showed that he also had Lewy body dementia.
The “Aladdin” actor’s voice, which brought the character of the Genie to life, was recently used in a new Disney short called “Once Upon a Studio.” Actor Josh Gad, who voiced Olaf in Disney’s “Frozen,” said the short employs “previously unheard dialogue” and was used with the consent of the actor’s estate. He defended himself after being attacked online for promoting the short.
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“It’s important to not jump to conclusions before knowing all the facts,” Gad wrote on Instagram in June. “Me getting to act alongside my idol posthumously, using previously unheard dialogue, would NEVER EVER happen without the consent of his estate. My love for Robin Williams is literally unmatched and I would never do anything unless I was guaranteed that it was with all of the proper sign-off and support.”
The use of AI technology is a major concern in the Hollywood community and was a key point of contention during the recent writers and actors strikes.
