In brief
The introduction of Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress, has sparked outrage among Hollywood figures, including Emily Blunt and Natasha Lyonne. Created by Dutch comedian Eline Van der Velden, Norwood portrays a synthesizer of human-like emotions but faces condemnation from industry unions and stars for potentially undermining human performers.
An AI actor named Tilly Norwood has been causing a stir after its Dutch creators said the synthetic performer is in talks with talent agencies.
Norwood could be mistaken for a young, aspiring actress when one glances at its social media. The brunette poses for photos and showcases a fully AI-generated comedy sketch, where it is described as having girl next door vibes.
I may be AI, but I'm feeling very real emotions right now, Tilly's creators wrote on her page. I am so excited for what's coming next!
Hollywood is not rolling out the red carpet. Its powerful actors union has condemned the creation, along with A-list stars like Emily Blunt, Natasha Lyonne and Whoopi Goldberg.
Norwood is not an actor, it's a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, said in a statement.
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, the union said.
The AI actor was created by Dutch actor and comedian Eline Van der Velden who reportedly said she wanted Norwood to become the next Scarlett Johansson. The BBC has reached out to Van der Velden and her company, Particle6.
Amid the anger and backlash in Hollywood, the Dutch creator posted on Tilly's Instagram page to say that the creation is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art.
AI has been a hotly contested technology in Hollywood and was a key sticking point during labour strikes that shut down the industry two years ago, as writers and actors demanded protections from the technology.
Actress and filmmaker Natasha Lyonne said anyone who works with Norwood should be boycotted. Any talent agency that engages in this should be boycotted by all guilds, claimed Lyonne, who is currently working on a film starring real actors.
Emily Blunt expressed her fears regarding the implications of AI in acting, describing Norwood's creation as terrifying. On The View, Whoopi Goldberg commented on the uniqueness of human performances and expressed scepticism that AI could take over the craft.
