Creator of Controversial AI Actor Tilly Norwood Addresses Growing Backlash From Hollywood

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The person behind Tilly Norwood, an actor created using artificial intelligence, recently responded to criticism from actors in Hollywood. Eline Van der Velden, who founded the London company Particle 6 Productions, explained why she created Tilly after some people said the technology could harm working performers. She defended her work, arguing it doesn’t aim to replace human actors, but rather offer new possibilities.

In a post on Instagram, Van der Velden responded to those upset by the creation of her AI character, Tilly Norwood. She explained that Tilly isn’t meant to replace a person, but is instead a creative work – a form of art. Van der Velden added that, like many artistic creations before it, Tilly encourages discussion, which demonstrates the power of creativity itself.

Van der Velden initially presented Norwood at the Zurich Film Festival as a part of Xicoia, which she explained was “the world’s first artificial intelligence talent studio.” The announcement quickly drew criticism from actors, filmmakers, and fans, particularly when it became known that the company was trying to secure standard representation for the AI performer.

For Van der Velden, who also works as an actor, this project centers on finding new ways to tell stories. “I don’t think of AI as something that will replace people,” she said, “but rather as a new tool – like a new paintbrush.” She explained that just as animation, puppetry, and CGI created new options without diminishing live acting, AI provides another method for imagining and crafting narratives.

As an actor, I believe the skill and pleasure of live performance can’t be replicated – not even by an AI character,” Van der Velden explained. The creator also pointed out that Norwood, as an AI, shouldn’t be evaluated using the same criteria as a human actor. “AI characters need to be assessed within their own category, based on their own qualities, and not in comparison to people,” he said.

However, not everyone is convinced. Several actors took to social media to express outrage at the idea of an AI actor competing for representation in an industry still recovering from 2023’s SAG-AFTRA strike, where AI regulation was one of the most contentious issues. “Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a$$,” wrote. “How gross, read the room.”

Hollywood Pushes Back

In Hollywood, the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, addressed the recent developments with a statement to . “SAG-AFTRA firmly believes that creativity should always be focused on people. We strongly object to the idea of replacing real performers with artificial ones,” the guild explained. “Just to be absolutely clear, Tilly Norwood is not a human actor.”

The statement went on to explain that this is a character created by a computer program, trained using the work of many professional actors without their consent or payment. It lacks real-life experiences and genuine emotion, and based on initial reactions, audiences don’t seem eager to watch content created by computers that isn’t connected to human experience.

in Hollywood. This technology has been applied to make actors look younger, create digital stand-ins, and enhance special effects, but the possibility of it replacing real actors has caused concern throughout the industry. The strikes of 2023 demonstrated that many people in Hollywood view AI not as a helpful tool, but as a danger to their jobs and creative work.

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2025-09-30 17:37