Robin Williams' three children have revived their late father's Instagram account nearly 12 years after his death, turning the page into a place to celebrate his life and work while pushing back against the growing use of AI-generated versions of his likeness.
Zak, Zelda and Cody Williams announced the decision in a joint statement shared on Robin's Instagram account on Monday.
Olivia June, Zak Williams, Zelda Williams, Marsha Garces Williams. Photo credit: Shutterstock
The account had remained inactive since the actor and comedian died in 2014, but his children now hope to use it to share genuine photographs, videos and memories of their father.
"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.
They explained that they want the account to become a trusted space where fans can find authentic material connected to Robin's career and personal life.
"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," they said.
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The move is also intended to combat what Zelda Williams has described as the "rampant AI abuse" of her father's voice and likeness.
Zelda, Robin's eldest daughter, addressed the decision on her own Instagram Story and acknowledged that seeing her father's account become active again could be difficult for some fans.
"Believe me, I know it's a little strange," she wrote.
However, she said that creating a place where fans can access genuine clips and photographs of Robin is one of the best ways the family has found to challenge the unauthorised AI content circulating online.
"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," she explained.
Robin Williams. Photo credit: Debby Wong, Shutterstock
The move comes as AI-generated deepfakes and recreations of celebrities, including those who have died, become increasingly common across social media.
For estates and families of deceased stars, the spread of artificial versions of their voices and appearances has raised concerns about authenticity and how their legacies are represented online.
Zelda has previously been outspoken about the use of AI to recreate her father.
Last year, she asked people who were sending her AI-generated videos of Robin to stop using his likeness.
"It's dumb, it's a waste of time and energy, and believe me, it's NOT what he'd want," she wrote at the time.
She also criticised the way AI recreations can reduce real people to something that simply "looks and sounds like them" for the purpose of creating social media content.
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Zelda has been raising concerns about AI recreations of her father for several years.
In 2023, during the Screen Actors Guild strike, she described AI videos featuring Robin's voice as "personally disturbing."
She argued that such recreations were, at best, an imitation of the people they were attempting to represent and, at worst, something deeply removed from the work and humanity of the original performer.
Robin Williams died in August 2014 at the age of 63.
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During a career spanning decades, he became one of the world's best-known comedians and actors, starring in films including Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society and Aladdin.
His children say the revived Instagram account will allow them to continue sharing the moments that made their father and millions of fans laugh, while ensuring that his legacy is represented by real memories rather than AI-generated imitations.
"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," they said.
"He continues to inspire us and delight people all over the world."
