Flonique Guimary

AI-generated ‘actress’ Tilly Norwood gets mixed reactions

Article (news)

Peter Andrew Acierto

Push Team

<p>Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress, has been a trending topic on social media as several netizens aired their concerns. She was created by a Dutch actor-producer, Eline Van Der Velden, from her London-based AI production studio Particle6. </p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DPIuBbhjLxe/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=607&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A183389.70000004768%2C%22ls%22%3A175437.20000004768%2C%22le%22%3A183371.20000004768%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1014" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>Eline released a statement earlier this week and maintained that Tilly is not meant to be a replacement for actors but rather a creative work that could spark a conversation. </p><div><br/></div><p>“I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool–– a new paintbrush. Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories. I’m an actor myself, and nothing–– certainly not an AI character–– can take away the craft or joy of human performance,” she wrote.</p><div><br/></div><p>“Creating Tilly has been, for me, an act of imagination and craftsmanship, not unlike drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance. It takes time, skill, and iteration to bring such a character to life. She represents experimentation, not substitution. Much of my work has always been about holding up a mirror to society through satire, and this is no different,” she added.</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-1" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DO_jWV4DKHx/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=607&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A183411.70000004768%2C%22ls%22%3A175437.20000004768%2C%22le%22%3A183371.20000004768%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="691" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>Eline maintained her position that her AI-generated actress should “be valued for what it uniquely brings” to the table. Through Tilly, she hopes that it would open the doors for this type of art form.</p><div><br/></div><p>“I hope we can welcome AI as part of the wider artistic family: one more way to express ourselves, alongside theatre, film, painting, music, and countless others. When we celebrate all forms of creativity, we open doors to new voices, new stories, and new ways of connecting with each other,” the statement ended.</p><div><br/></div><p>Meanwhile, the AI-generated actress has been denied by Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) as one of their own through an official statement.</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMvOUMeKFaL/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=607&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A183427.10000002384%2C%22ls%22%3A175437.20000004768%2C%22le%22%3A183371.20000004768%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="833" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>“‘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 U.S. labor union shared in their official statement.</p>

<p>Meet Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress hoping to make her debut on the big screens soon. </p>

Meet Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress hoping to make her debut on the big screens soon.