Robin Williams's children revive late actor's Instagram amid 'rampant AI abuse'

Richard Raycraft · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 19, 2026 2:28 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Robin Williams’s children have revived the late actor and comedian’s long-dormant Instagram account amid a rise in unauthorized AI likenesses of their father.

Williams died on Aug. 11, 2014, at the age of 63. An autopsy report found he had Lewy body dementia.

"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, Zelda and Cody Williams wrote in a post on Monday, which was the first on the "therobinwilliams" Instagram account since July 31, 2014.

"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. He continues to inspire us and delight people all over the world."

Williams had a prolific career across film, television and stage. He first rose to fame in the television sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978-82) and went on to star in films such as Good Morning Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and Jumanji (1995).

He won an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in Good Will Hunting (1997), and a special achievement Golden Globe Award for voicing Genie in Aladdin (1992).

AI-generated videos of Williams that have appeared online show him on podcasts, performing stand-up comedy routines, giving pep talks and commenting on the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Many of the videos were made with OpenAI’s video creation and social media app, Sora.

OpenAI shut down Sora in March. The app was met with an outcry from family estates after people used it to generate videos of public figures such as Michael Jackson, Mister Rogers and Martin Luther King Jr. doing outlandish things. 

Daughter vocal in AI opposition

Zelda Williams, an actor and director herself, has long denounced AI recreations of her father. 

Last year, she begged fans to stop sending her AI videos of her dad, calling them "disgusting" and saying it’s not what he would have wanted. They echo comments she made in 2023.

In an Instagram story on Monday, she said reviving her father’s Instagram account is part of an effort to fight back against AI.

"I’m sorry if anyone found Dad’s old page posting again to be triggering. Believe me, I know it’s a little strange," she said.

"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 Williams, right, has reacted negatively to AI-generated videos of her late father, Robin. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images, Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

But actor Matthew Lawrence, who co-starred with Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, told Entertainment Weekly last year that he would like to revive Williams’s voice with AI.

"I would love to do something really special with his voice, because I know for a generation, that voice is just so iconic," he said. "He’s got to be the voice of AI."

But Lawrence said he would only do such a project with permission from the Williams family.

Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, has also spoken out against the use of her father in AI.

• Filmmaker Zelda Williams on grief, camp comedy and embracing the unusual

• You can stream AI TV 24/7 on Roku now

An AI version of actor Val Kilmer, who died last year at age 65, will star in the upcoming film As Deep As the Grave. Kilmer's estate gave permission for his digital replication and is receiving compensation.