Since legendary actor and director Robert Redford died on September 16, at the age of 89, AI-generated videos have continued to emerge in the form of tributes, his alleged funeral or quotes attributed to his relatives. His daughter Amy Redford reported it on her social networks, where she published a message on her Instagram account to deny the false information about her father circulating on social networks. “There have been several AI-generated accounts of funerals, tributes and quotes from my family members that are fabrications. Depictions of my father, who clearly has no say in the matter, and depictions of my family that do not portray anyone in a positive light, are especially difficult in these difficult times. We are grieving and supporting each other.”
As for the use of artificial intelligence (AI), he knows that this technology “is here to stay.” “I hope that AI is used transparently. There are many elements that were created with good intentions,” he adds. The daughter also makes a request to followers: “I simply ask, what if this were you? Let it serve as a point of reference. May human authenticity live on, inspire and be the connective tissue we all yearn for.”
Even Amy Redford, the youngest daughter of the four that the interpreter had with Lola Van Wagenen, his first wife, clarifies that the only funeral there was was private and anticipates that there will be an opportunity in the future for his followers to pay homage to him. “We did not have a public funeral, we are working to have a memorial in the future. All families should have the opportunity to grieve, represent the person they lost and pay their respects in a way that best represents the family’s values and culture.”
This is the first time that the actor’s daughter enjoys films Two men and one destiny OR All the president’s men talks about his father’s death. And, as she herself admits at the beginning of her publication, she doesn’t have much activity on social networks. So he also took the opportunity to thank the support he has received through texts, emails and even packages that his father’s followers have left outside his house. “It clearly meant a lot to many people, and I know my family is touched by the outpouring of stories and tributes from all corners of the world,” she writes.
The director of the Sundance festival would like to be remembered “for all the work in television, in cinema, in theater. And for my environmental work”, as he himself said in an interview for EL PAÍS in 2018. His interest in the environment began as a child, at the age of 11 he suffered from polio and when he managed to recover, his mother took him to Yosemite natural park to celebrate. “When I passed through the entrance tunnel and arrived at what is called Inspiration Point, I realized that I didn’t want to see it, I wanted to be there, in the midst of that majestic landscape. I knew that when I grew up I wanted to have money to buy land and preserve it, to retire admiring its beauty. It wouldn’t be many years before I realized that the nature of our country, what gives us strength and separates us from Europe, is that we are a development-oriented society. We expand and generate wealth, but how are we doing to stay if we continue at this pace? The future must not only be oriented towards development, but towards conservation if we seek the survival of our species. Otherwise, why have children?
In the same interview, although the actor confessed to having thought about death, he assured that this “is part of life”. “It’s inevitable, but I have a choice between living in fear or continuing with my life and laughing at death. As I’ve gotten older I’ve had to withdraw from certain things, but as long as I can take long walks and ride horses, I’ll continue to laugh about it,” he said at 82.
