An entirely AI-generated character named Tilly Norwood is actively seeking representation from a Hollywood talent agent, a move that has ignited a significant debate and drawn sharp criticism from actors' unions and prominent industry figures. The digital creation, developed by Dutch producer Eline Van der Velden, is being presented as a new form of talent, but many in the creative community view it as a threat to human performance and artistry.
Key Takeaways
- Tilly Norwood, a 100% AI-generated character, is being marketed to Hollywood talent agencies.
- The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and notable actors have strongly condemned the project.
- Critics argue the AI is trained on the work of human performers without consent or compensation.
- The creator defends the character as a "piece of art" and a new creative medium, not a replacement for human actors.
- This controversy highlights ongoing tensions over the use of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry.
A Digital Actor Seeks a Human Agent
Tilly Norwood exists only as a digital entity, but her creator has ambitions for a career on the big screen. Eline Van der Velden, founder of the company Xicoia, which describes itself as the world's first AI talent studio, is the driving force behind the character. Van der Velden has publicly stated that she is in discussions with several agents to represent Tilly Norwood, positioning the digital character as a viable alternative to human actors, even comparing her potential to that of Scarlett Johansson.
The campaign to launch Tilly's career gained significant attention after Van der Velden promoted the character at the Zurich Summit, an industry event connected to the Zurich Film Festival. It was there she announced that talent agencies were expressing interest, with a formal signing expected soon. This announcement quickly moved the discussion from a theoretical possibility to a present-day industry conflict.
Tilly Norwood also maintains an active social media presence. An Instagram account under her name has accumulated over 33,000 followers, featuring posts of the AI character in everyday situations like drinking coffee and preparing for screen tests, further blurring the line between a digital creation and a public persona.
Hollywood's Strong Opposition
The reaction from the entertainment industry was swift and overwhelmingly negative. Guilds and actors raised immediate concerns about the ethical and creative implications of an AI character competing for roles.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) released a forceful statement clarifying its position. "To be clear, 'Tilly Norwood' is not an actor, it's a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation," the guild stated. The union emphasized that true creativity must remain centered on human experience.
SAG-AFTRA's Position
The guild argues that an AI character lacks the essential elements of acting, stating it has "no life experience to draw from, no emotion" and that audiences are not interested in content "untethered from the human experience."
Sean Astin, the recently elected president of SAG-AFTRA and an actor known for roles in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Goonies," echoed the guild's concerns. He directly addressed the nature of AI creations being built from existing data.
"You're made up of stuff that doesn't belong to you," Astin told CBS News. "Let's just make sure that credit is given where credit is due."
Astin further argued that human actors bring an "authenticity" that AI cannot replicate. He pointed to the sum of lived emotional experiences—love, loss, and fear—as the foundation of a real performance, something a program can only approximate.
Other influential figures voiced their disapproval. Actor and director Natasha Lyonne, who is working on a film using what she calls "ethical" AI, described the Tilly Norwood project as "deeply misguided & totally disturbed" in an Instagram post. She called for a boycott of any talent agency that would sign the AI character.
Creator Defends AI as a New Art Form
In response to the widespread criticism, Eline Van der Velden took to social media to defend her creation. She framed Tilly Norwood not as a replacement for human beings but as a new form of artistic expression.
"To those who have expressed anger over the creation of my AI character, Tilly Norwood, she is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work — a piece of art," Van der Velden wrote. She argued that, like many new art forms throughout history, AI characters spark important conversations about creativity.
Van der Velden, who also founded the AI production studio Particle6, suggested that AI characters should be considered their own genre. She compared the process of developing Tilly to traditional creative acts.
"Creating Tilly has been, for me, an act of imagination and craftsmanship, not unlike drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance," she added. "It takes time, skill and iteration to bring such a character to life."
This perspective positions AI not as a tool to mimic human actors but as a medium for creating entirely new types of characters, challenging the traditional definitions of performance and art in filmmaking.
Broader Context of AI in Entertainment
The controversy surrounding Tilly Norwood does not exist in a vacuum. It is the latest flashpoint in a long-simmering debate over the role of artificial intelligence in creative fields. This issue was a central point of contention in major labor disputes that recently reshaped the industry.
Recent Labor Negotiations and AI
The use of AI was a key bargaining point in the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The resulting contract included new safeguards to protect actors from having their likenesses and performances used by AI without their consent. Similarly, a yearlong strike by video game actors concluded with a contract that requires employers to get written permission to create a digital replica of a performer.
Even when used as a tool, AI in film production has prompted debate. The 2024 Oscar-winning film "The Brutalist" reportedly used artificial intelligence to generate Hungarian dialogue for its lead actors, Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones. The revelation of this use sparked discussion among industry professionals about the boundaries of acceptable AI implementation.
The case of Tilly Norwood pushes this debate further. It is not about using AI to augment a human performance but about replacing the human performer altogether. As AI technology continues to advance, the entertainment industry will face ongoing questions about intellectual property, the definition of performance, and the future of human creativity.