The actress and daughter of the legendary comedian Robin Williams, Zelda Williamsexpressed his concern and disgust regarding it to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate the voices of actors and public figures, particularly his late father. In a statement shared on Instagram Stories, Zelda made clear her stance against the use of AI to create or recreate actors without their consent.
AI to recreate actors’ voices, Robin Williams’ daughter speaks
“I am not an impartial voice in SAG’s fight against artificial intelligence,” Zelda wrote, referring to the actors union Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, currently on strike. Because of the salaries, the streaming rights – but also because of the use of AI.
Zelda Williams explains: “I’ve seen for YEARS how many people want to train these models for create/recreate actors who cannot consent, like dad. This is not theoretical, this is very, very real.”
Zelda Williams in 2023
Zelda Williams highlighted the ethical concerns of using AI to create digital facsimiles of actors or public figures without their permission. He also mentioned that AI can be used to making the recreated figures say things that they would never have said in reality.
Both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA have weighed in on the issue. Both unions went on strike to seek protections against artificial intelligence. The WGA recently ended the strike and made a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), while SAG-AFTRA will resume negotiations with the studios next week.
Zelda Williams closed her message by criticizing AI and its creations, calling them “poor facsimiles of larger people” and “hideous Frankensteinian monsters” that they do not respect the integrity and dignity of the people they represent.
This intervention highlights the importance of defining clear agreements in contracts to ensure that AI is only used with the consent of the actors or their families.