She looks like any other starlet; a pretty, doe-eyed, long-haired brunette, primed to play the ing\u00e9nue in the next Richard Curtis rom-com. So why has Tilly Norwood become a pariah in Hollywood?<\/p>\n
Tilly was unveiled by Particle6 Productions at the Zurich Summit, an offshoot of the Zurich Film Festival, last month and her debut has caused quite an upset. A tech company unveiling an actress is strange – but not when you learn that the AI-generated Tilly Norwood is not even a real person, never mind a real actress. And Particle6 – which is, rather worryingly, supported with funds awarded by the UK Global Screen Fund – intends to unleash more Tilly Norwoods on the world via Xicoia, their ‘talent studio for AI generation’.<\/p>\n
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Watch a comedy sketch featuring AI ‘actor’ Tilly Norwood<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s Dutch founder Eline Van Der Velden insisted that Tilly is “not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work” while simultaneously “seeking representation” for her creation. Understandably, the furore has been loud and robust; after all, the film industry\u2019s use of AI was one of the main bones of contention in both the writers\u2019 and actors\u2019 strikes that ground the TV and movie industry to a halt in 2023. Actors Emily Blunt, Ralph Ineson, Whoopi Goldberg and many others have bluntly aired their opinion on Tilly, while actors\u2019 unions Equity and SAG-Aftra both slammed the development, with the latter releasing a statement saying “To be clear, \u2018Tilly Norwood\u2019 is not an actor, it\u2019s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers – without permission or compensation.”<\/p>\n
Why pay Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet $20 million to smoulder, or Tom Cruise $50 mil to do all his own stunts, when an AI-generated actor can do the same thing for a fraction of the cost – and none of the diva demands?<\/p>\n
A publicity stunt for a small-fry production company? Perhaps. Yet while you can laugh off Tilly Norwood, claim that AI actors would never catch on, and insist that if you look closely enough you can tell that she\u2019s not human. But what about in five years\u2019 time, when technology has further advanced and those little creases that cause an \u2018uncanny valley\u2019 effect can be ironed out? Will the new, updated Tilly Norwood be more accepted by mainstream audiences? It\u2019s not beyond the realm of possibility. From the perspective of major studios, the focus is always the bottom line – and they could see AI actors as a cost-effective measure. Why pay Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet $20 million to smoulder, or Tom Cruise $50 mil to do all his own stunts, when an AI-generated actor can do the same thing for a fraction of the cost – and none of the diva demands? It sounds bonkers, but the landscape can shift dramatically in ten years.<\/p>\n
Had such a blast filming some screen tests recently \u2728<\/p>\n
Every day feels like a step closer to the big screen.<\/p>\n
Can’t wait to share more with you all soon\u2026 what role do you see me in? #AIActress<\/a> #AIart<\/a> #AICommisoner<\/a> #hollywoodactress<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/NF8LKAROE5<\/a><\/p>\n