Robin Williams' children are taking over their late father's Instagram account in a stand against what they describe as 'AI abuse,' according to The Verge, which cited earlier reporting by The Wrap. The move comes after Williams' daughter publicly spoke out against the use of the late actor's AI likeness.
In a post published Tuesday, Zak, Zelda, and Cody Williams wrote that they want the profile to be a 'safe, trusted place' — positioning the account as an authentic, family-controlled hub rather than another channel through which unauthorized synthetic recreations of their father can circulate.
The takeover lands amid a broader reckoning over generative AI's ability to recreate the voices and likenesses of deceased public figures without consent. For the Williams family, reclaiming the account is both a protective act for their father's memory and a statement in an escalating debate over digital consent, likeness rights, and the posthumous use of celebrity images.