Hollywood is fuming over a new AI actress

Question

After an artificial intelligence-generated “actress” drew intense backlash from human actors, the character’s maker says it’s not meant to replace people. But many in Hollywood aren’t buying it.

It’s just the latest movie-industry feud over a technology that many creatives worry has stolen their work and could eventually replace them.

“Tilly Norwood” looks like a young woman with wavy brown hair and clear skin who, since February, has posted on Instagram much like any other Gen Z influencer. She’s pursuing an acting career — and recently posted about doing “screen tests” in hopes of landing a gig. But Tilly Norwood isn’t a real person, she’s AI-generated, created by Eline Van Der Velden, founder of AI startup Particle6, which says it creates “digital content” for film and TV.

In a recent post, AI Tilly bragged that “in 20 seconds I fought monsters, fled explosions, sold you a car, and nearly won an Oscar. All in a day’s work… literally! Find yourself an actress who can do it all,” along with the hashtag #AIActress.

Answer 1

Tilly Norwood was introduced by Eline Van Der Velden at Zurich Summit. Tilly Norwood is indeed a digital character generated by artificial intelligence (AI) that has caused controversy in Hollywood. However, its creators insist that the project is not intended to replace real human actors, although many professional remain suspicious. 

Some actresses and public voices share their thoughts about Tilly Norwood: 

"That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don't do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection," Emily Blunt.

Whoopi Goldberg, an Oscar-winning actress and co-host of ABC's "The View," said she believes AI generated actors have an "unfair advantage" over human actors. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/ai-generated-actress-tilly-norwood-sparks-hollywood-backlash/story?id=126081156

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and a number of human actors have publicly criticized a character generated by AI named Tilly Norwood, emphasizing that "creativity is, and must remain, human centered." https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-statement-synthetic-performer#:~:text=https://www.sagaftra.org,About%20SAG%2DAFTRA

A CNN article titled "AI actor, strike" (July 2023) reports that one main issues in the ongoing Hollywood strike is the use of actors generated by AI and unauthorized training of human appearances, which the actors warns could replace human performers. Although the CNN article does not specifically mention Tilly Norwood (who is more recently example), it helps broader industry backdrop, actors are increasingly aware of the use of AI in film/ TV roles. https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/18/business/ai-actors-strike

This claim is accurate, based on multiple reliable sources including ABC News, CNN, and the official SAG-AFTRA statement.