Hollywood Reacts to AI-Generated Actress Tilly Norwood
Key Points
- Tilly Norwood is an AI‑generated Instagram personality with about 40,000 followers.
- Created by Xicoia, the AI division of production company Particle6.
- Founder Eline Van der Velder introduced Norwood at the Zurich Film Festival and seeks agency representation.
- Actress Emily Blunt expressed alarm, calling the development "really, really scary."
- SAG‑AFTRA condemned synthetic performers, citing lack of permission, compensation, and human emotion.
- Van der Velder defended Norwood as a creative artwork that sparks conversation.
- OpenAI’s release of Sora 2 underscores rapid AI advances in video generation.
- Unions call for contractual safeguards to protect human talent from AI displacement.
Tilly Norwood, a London‑based Instagram personality with about 40,000 followers, is not a real person but an AI‑generated character created by Xicoia, the AI division of production company Particle6. Founder Eline Van der Velden introduced Norwood at the Zurich Film Festival and is seeking an agent for the synthetic performer. The concept has sparked strong reactions, including a startled comment from actress Emily Blunt and a firm opposition from SAG‑AFTRA, which warned that synthetic performers threaten human artistry and livelihoods. Van der Velden defended Norwood as a piece of art, while industry unions call for contractual safeguards as AI tools like OpenAI’s Sora 2 advance.
Background
Tilly Norwood is presented as a London‑based actress who has amassed roughly 40,000 followers on Instagram. In reality, Norwood is a synthetic character generated by Xicoia, the artificial‑intelligence division of the production company Particle6. The idea was unveiled by Dutch producer Eline Van der Velden, who founded Particle6, at the Zurich Film Festival in September. Van der Velder is actively looking for an agency to represent the AI‑generated persona.
Industry Reaction
The introduction of Norwood has provoked a wave of responses across Hollywood. Actress Emily Blunt, while recording a podcast with Variety, expressed alarm, stating, “Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary,” and pleaded for agencies to halt the practice. Her remarks underscore the unease among established performers about AI‑driven competitors.
Union Opposition
SAG‑AFTRA, the union representing entertainment and media professionals, issued a statement condemning synthetic performers like Norwood. The union emphasized that “Tilly Norwood is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of the countless professional performers — without permission or compensation.” It warned that such technology lacks life experience, emotion, and audience appeal, and that it jeopardizes performer livelihoods and devalues human artistry.
Creator’s Defense
In response to the backlash, Van der Velder posted on Norwood’s Instagram account, describing the synthetic actress as “not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work — a piece of art.” She argued that, like previous artistic forms, Norwood sparks conversation and demonstrates the power of creativity.
Broader Context and Future Outlook
The controversy arrives amid rapid advancements in AI video generation, highlighted by OpenAI’s release of Sora 2. Both SAG‑AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America have advocated for contractual protections to prevent AI from displacing human talent, urging producers to provide notice and negotiate whenever synthetic performers are considered.
As the entertainment industry grapples with these emerging technologies, the debate over synthetic performers balances artistic experimentation against the preservation of human‑driven storytelling and fair compensation for creators.