The creator of the AI “actress” Tilly Norwood is planning to develop numerous other digital characters, despite the significant criticism her initial creation has faced.
Actress and technologist Eline Van der Velden, who founded the AI production studio Particle 6, told Deadline she intends to “create 40 very diverse new characters to build [Tilly’s] universe and to play in this AI genre with a whole new cast” for her AI talent studio, Xicoia.
“We’re working on several new characters, although none are ready to debut yet. Crafting each one to my satisfaction is a lengthy process,” explained Van der Welden, revealing that creating Tilly took about six months of continuous effort.
The announcement of more AI characters is expected to trigger resistance from many in Hollywood, especially members of the SAG-AFTRA union. The union has already criticized Tilly as a potentially harmful innovation, fearing it could replace real actors while AI developers profit from using the performances of unpaid actors from the past.
In late September, the Screen Actors Guild, which had a 118-day strike in 2023 partly due to AI concerns, firmly opposed Tilly and similar AI creations, asserting that “creativity should remain a human endeavor.”
“The union stands against the replacement of human actors with synthetic ones,” SAG-AFTRA declared in a statement. “To clarify, ‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor. It is a computer-generated character built using the work of numerous professional actors without their consent or compensation. It lacks genuine life experience and emotion.”
In response, Van der Velden told Deadline that her AI characters do not mimic anyone’s likeness without proper compensation or explicit consent. She also aimed to ease concerns regarding AI’s impact on the arts and the entertainment industry workforce.
“Tilly is not going to take your job,” she said. “I feel strongly that there are three genres: animation, traditional live action and the AI genre. Tilly was always meant to be in her AI genre, and that’s where she’ll stay.”
Van der Welden further argued that her business actually supports traditional filmmaking by helping to “reduce budgets so projects can enhance creativity with real actors.”
“Plus, there’s the environmental element,” she said. “It’s an 80% to 90% carbon footprint reduction if you use AI for certain shots. It’s also safer in some instances. Xicoia is really an extension into the AI universe and AI world. And that’s where Tilly lives and that’s where she should stay.”
