AI actress Tilly Norwood takes the spotlight, prompting debate and outcry in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES — A new actress is taking the spotlight in Hollywood, and it is sparking a debate among actors. That’s because this actress isn’t real. They’re an AI called Tilly Norwood.

Actors are speaking out, responding to reports that multiple talent agencies are interested in signing the AI actress.

Tilly Norwood might seem like any other aspiring actress. She has an Instagram page showing off her screen tests, alongside candid moments.

She even posted a video on Facebook which she says features her first on-camera role.

But Tilly Norwood is not a real actress — she’s a character generated by artificial intelligence.

Her creator says she’s getting very real attention.

Eline Van der Velden runs the AI talent company that made Tilly. She says, “When we first launched Tilly, people were like, ‘What’s that? And now we’re going to be announcing which agency is going to be representing her.”

But that announcement is not sitting well with many Hollywood stars.

Emily Blunt said, “That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies. Don’t do that.”

Marvel star Simu Liu said, “Movies are great, but you know what would be better is if the characters in them weren’t played by actual humans but by AI replicas approximating human emotion.”

Whoopi Goldberg said, “You are suddenly up against something that’s been generated with 5,000 other actors. It’s been given all of these.. you know, it’s got Bette Davis’ attitude, it’s got this one, it’s got Humphrey Bogart’s humor. So, it’s a little bit of an unfair advantage.”

Van der Velden insists Tilly “..is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work — a piece of art.. AI characters should be judged as part of their own genre, on their own merits, rather than compared directly with human actors.”

Just a few months ago, Van der Velden said she wanted Tilly to be the next Natalie Portman or Scarlet Johannsen.

The fashion industry is also under scrutiny. Guess and J.Crew have faced criticism for featuring AI models.

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