Created by producer Eline van der Velden of Xicoia, an AI talent studio, Tilly Norwood is Xicoia’s first fully AI-generated, human-look-alike actress.

Norwood was not created for commercials and Instagram reels. Velden told Broadcast International that she and the team at Xicoia want Tilly to be “the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman.”

Getting Norwood on the big screen may already be in the works. Velden announced at the Zurich Summit that Xicoia has been in discussions with various talent agents who’ve expressed interest in signing the actress, and that Xicoia will be announcing which agency will represent her in the upcoming months.

If this came to pass, Norwood would possibly be working alongside human actors, a concept many are not fond of.

Image Credit: Igor Omilaev from Unsplash

Backlash to Tilly Norwood

Since Tilly Norwood’s debut, the actress has received backlash from many who are opposed to using AI in creative projects.

SAG-AFTRA, a labor union representing over 160,000 creatives, released a statement:

“SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered… To be clear, Tilly Norwood is not an actor; it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers—without permission or compensation.”

A handful of celebrities have expressed outrage toward the prospect as well.

Under an Instagram post from Deadline reporting on Norwood, actress Mara Wilson asked,

“And what about the hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together to make her? You couldn’t hire any of them?”

Drag performer BenDeLaCreme commented under the same post to stop calling “this,” meaning Tilly, an actress.

TV show host and lifestyle expert Tommy DiDario commented that he would never interview “a Tilly” on his platforms. Actress and producer Natasha Lyonne shared the post on her story advocating for the boycott of any talent agency that signs Norwood, calling the AI creation “deeply misguided” and “totally disturbed."

Various other celebrities posted such sentiments as well. But it is not only those in the industry protesting.

Social media is overtaken with posts from consumers who don’t want to see films and shows with AI actresses.

As one X user wrote on a post that received over 158,000 likes:

"We cannot normalize this. Acting is a centuries-old art, and we cannot lose it to AI."

Image Credit: Europeana from Unsplash

The substantial backlash has not gone unnoticed by Eline van der Velden, Tilly Norwood’s creator.

In a statement posted on Norwood’s Instagram, Velden said Tilly is “not a replacement for a human being,” but rather a creative project that sparks conversation.

She went on to say that AI is a tool that expanded possibilities, such as the paintbrush and puppetry. Tilly has been an outlet for her imagination, she wrote, imploring readers to welcome AI as part of the “wider artistic family.”