Tilly Norwood, a product of AI. AI technology could threaten actors.
Tilly Norwood is being marketed as Hollywood’s next big star, but she’s not real. She’s a creation of artificial intelligence.
The AI avatar was announced this year at the Zurich Summit, a prestigious conference for film, entertainment and technology industries, being pitched as the “next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman.” The AI character was created by Dutch actor and comedian Eline van der Velden. Van der Velden founded Particle6, a self-proclaimed “world-leading AI production company.”
AI isn’t new to Hollywood. Filmmakers have long experimented with the latest technology to enhance storytelling. Examples include a CGI homage to Carrie Fisher in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” or motion-capture animation in films like “The Lord of the Rings” and “Avengers: Endgame”. What sets AI apart, however, is that it doesn’t replace or enhance any actor’s performance like that of motion-capture or the homage to Carrie Fisher. AI creates content entirely on its own, independent from directors, performers or writers. The introduction of an AI actress is a shift from the use of technology as a “tool” and instead suggests that the technology plans on replacing real performers.
The announcement of an AI actress into the world of Hollywood was rightfully met with immediate scrutiny from both stars and industry professionals. SAG-AFTRA, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, released a statement denouncing the technology.
“It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience,” SAG-AFTRA said in their statement.
SAG-AFTRA suggests that acting is fundamentally about the human experience. Audiences need a character on screen to empathize with to enjoy a movie. SAG-AFTRA’s criticism of AI is important because it states that storytelling is more than just images moving across a screen.
Van der Velden defended the project on Tilly Norwood’s official Instagram account, stating the AI is “not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art.” Particle6, however, advertises on its website that they have the technology to produce full commercials, feature films, and broadcast-ready content, effectively generating media that takes teams of hundreds of people to create.
New York City talent agent and former casting director, Jaime Jacobs, who has spent more than thirty years in the entertainment industry, gave me her insight on the rise of AI in Hollywood.
“As someone who’s spent years discovering real human talent, watching the rise of AI actors feels less like progress and more like erasure. We’re not just replacing faces on screen, we’re risking the soul of performance itself. I’ve spent my career fighting to get real actors in the room. With AI, the room is disappearing, along with the need for talent, training and the very foundation of our industry,” said Jacobs.
According to Deadline, several Hollywood agents are now considering signing AI-generated talent, including Tilly Norwood, as potential clients. In an interview with Variety, Van der Velden stated that an announcement of an AI-based talent agency is in the works and just months away.
The film industry is one that was built on human collaboration, emotions and storytelling. Replacing actors with AI stand-ins not only devalues the story being told, but erases over a century of unique experiences, talent, and legacy. Film is an industry built on human connection. At best, AI could only ever mimic actors and writers, but it always lacks the humanness that makes it special. Without human experience in the film industry, we are left with soulless, monetized content. Audiences don’t want the generated perfection that AI produces. People go to the movies to see the imbalance, imperfection and beauty that come with being human. Advanced technology can be used in film to enhance the experience, but a line has to be drawn where the humanity of the project is lost.