AI actress Tilly Norwood became the center of a heated debate in Hollywood after talent agencies expressed interest in signing her.
The British 24-year-old character was created entirely by Eline Van der Velden and her team at Particle6.
Her existence led to criticism from stars such as Toni Collette, Emily Blunt, Amy Poehler and Ryan Reynolds.
However, SAG-AFTRA released a statement saying that Norwood lacked life experience and emotion, warning that audiences might not connect with computer-generated actors.
However, Van der Velden addressed the backlash and clarified that Tilly Norwood was not intended to replace human actors.
She said the goal was to create a new form of storytelling, similar to animated characters, and emphasized that real actors remained essential to the craft.
In three years, Particle6 built a universe of AI characters, with Tilly leading the way. Van der Velden noted that the AI actress’s realism set her apart from other CGI personalities, such as Lil Miquela.
He further explained that the character was designed to reflect the talent and creative tradition of Great Britain, where Van der Velden learned acting.
Furthermore, the AI actress was created using a mix of commercial tools and proprietary software.
Van der Velden said no likeness of a real person was used in the process, and described Tilly as a symbol of innovation, representing a new era in filmmaking.
Despite the backlash, interest in Tilly Norwood soared, attracting the attention of award-winning writers, directors and actors.
Van der Velden went on to say that she hoped the character would spark conversation and inspire a shift in the way Hollywood approaches storytelling in the age of AI.
