Hollywood’s powerful actors’ union SAG-AFTRA has issued a sharp rebuke of Tilly Norwood, an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated “actress” that has sparked controversy in Tinseltown after reports emerged that talent agents are interested in representing “her.”
“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 union said in a statement that declared its opposition to “the replacement of human performers by synthetics.”
“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 added.
The guild warned AI creation “doesn’t solve any ‘problem’ — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.” (Indeed, Hollywood writers, voice actors, and other professionals went on strike in 2023 to dissuade studios from using AI to replace them.)
Eline Van der Velden, who created Tilly Norwood through AI production studio Particle6, defended her work amid mounting industry criticism. Van der Velden claimed multiple talent agents had expressed interest in signing the AI character.
“[Tilly] is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art,” Van der Velden said, describing AI 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,” she added. “I’m an actor myself, and nothing – certainly not an AI character – can take away the craft or joy of human performance.”
The controversy has drawn condemnation from prominent Hollywood figures. Actors Melissa Barrera, Kiersey Clemons and Mara Wilson criticized the AI creation on social media.
Oscar-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg, meanwhile, addressed the issue on television’s “The View,” expressing skepticism that an AI performer could replace human actors. “You can always tell them from us. We move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently,” she said.
Emily Blunt reacted with visible alarm when shown an image of Tilly Norwood during a Variety podcast interview.
“Does it disappoint me? I don’t know how to quite answer it, other than to say how terrifying this is,” Blunt said. “No, are you serious? That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.”
Added Alon Yamin, co-founder and CEO of Copyleaks, an AI-based content verification company: “When synthetic performers are introduced without transparency or consent, it undermines both the artists who dedicate their lives to the craft and the trust audiences place in the storytelling. AI can support the process of human creativity, but it should never replace it. To protect authenticity means that ethics and transparency must remain at the heart of how this technology is applied.”
