AI ‘actor’ Tilly Norwood’s creator addresses backlash and announces 40 more AI characters in the works

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The person who made Tilly Norwood, a digital ‘actor’ created using AI, has responded to the strong negative reaction the project received online after a video of her went viral in September.

Norwood was created by Eline Van der Velden at AI studio Particle6 before AI-generated content became widely popular. She recently starred in a short film that brought significant attention to the technology.

SAG-AFTRA, the union for American actors, strongly criticised the practice, stating that creativity should always be driven by humans. They also objected to AI being trained using the work of many professional actors without their consent or payment.

The guild stated that this doesn’t fix any issue – instead, it causes a problem by relying on unauthorized performances, potentially costing actors their jobs, threatening their ability to earn a living, and diminishing the value of creative work.

Norwood sparked a lot of discussion online, with many movie fans agreeing with the Screen Actors Guild and other people working in the film industry.

Looking back on everything, it’s been absolutely wild, honestly. I never expected this story to get so much attention – it just really took off, and I’m still a bit shocked by how big it became.

I always hoped Tilly would become famous – that was the goal when I created her. It’s strange, but it feels like that dream actually made it happen.

She explained that the project really highlighted our high standards, which surprised a lot of people. This, particularly regarding Tilly, started an important global discussion about how this technology will integrate into the industry.

Van der Velden said she was sorry if Tilly had offended anyone, especially actors, and explained why she didn’t think AI actors would be a problem for the industry.

I never intended to take anyone’s job,” Van der Velden explained. “I understand why the actors were upset, and I’m truly sorry if my work caused them distress. I want to assure them that wasn’t my goal at all.”

Tilly isn’t meant for that purpose. Just because AI offers a new way to create doesn’t mean traditional art forms like painting, writing, and photography are no longer valuable. They still have a place and continue to be practiced.

Even though we can now create things digitally, that doesn’t mean we’re abandoning traditional art forms.

Despite facing public criticism, Van der Velden and her companies, Particle6 and Xicoia, plan to continue moving forward with their work.

I’ve heard through the grapevine that a bunch of talent agencies are really keen on signing Norwood. Apparently, they’ve all been reaching out!

Van der Velden plans to develop a diverse group of 40 characters to populate her creative world and explore new possibilities within the AI genre, though none are available to the public at this time.

Originally from the Netherlands, this entrepreneur now lives and works in the UK and wants to see Britain become a leader in creating actors and performers using artificial intelligence.

However, the UK’s own actors’ union Equity has pushed back against such development.

As a critic, I’ve been following the debate around AI in the arts, and Equity just released a statement that really hits the nail on the head. They firmly believe creativity is fundamentally a human thing, and AI should be a way to help artists, not take their jobs. It’s about empowering creators, not replacing them, and I couldn’t agree more.

We need more openness and safeguards to protect artists’ work. This is especially important with the rise of AI performers like ‘Tilly Norwood,’ to make sure they don’t illegally copy artists’ appearances or creative work, and that human artistry is always valued and protected.

AI performances aren’t created out of nothing; they’re built by digitally copying the work of actual people. These systems learn by studying human appearances and voices.

Sometimes, artists agree to have their work used in this way, but often they don’t. This unregulated situation needs to stop, and strong safeguards are necessary to prevent the theft of artists’ creations.

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2025-11-09 16:34