The arrival of the world’s first AI actress last year ignited a firestorm of controversy, with prominent Hollywood figures like Emily Blunt and Sophie Turner voicing strong opposition. Tilly Norwood, who possesses the classic “English rose” charm with her big brown eyes, dazzling smile, and perfectly coiffed hair, boasts an impressive 90,000 followers. However, beneath this seemingly aspirational facade lies a profound truth: Tilly Norwood is not a real person at all.
She is the brainchild of Eline Van der Velden, a Dutch actress, comedian, and physicist. Over a decade ago, Van der Velden founded Particle6 Group, a company dedicated to AI production. After a meticulous four-month development period, she unveiled Tilly to the world. The initial reception in the UK was largely positive. Yet, when Tilly was introduced at a panel at the Zurich Summit and it was revealed she would be signing with a talent agency, Hollywood reacted swiftly and with considerable backlash.
Both Tilly and Van der Velden herself faced intense criticism. SAG-AFTRA condemned Tilly, stating that she was “devaluing human artistry.” Emily Blunt famously described the development as “terrifying,” while Natasha Lyonne labelled Tilly as “deeply misguided and totally disturbed.”
The backlash was so severe that Van der Velden even received death threats. Reflecting on the starkly different reactions between the US and the UK, Van der Velden posited that the US has “a lot more working actors who thought this might take their jobs.” She also suggested that the sheer scale and commercial nature of the American market make “innovation a lot more difficult there.”
Despite this significant pushback, Van der Velden remains undeterred. Her plans for Tilly to star in her own projects, within what she terms the “Tillyverse,” are very much alive. In an initial statement addressing the controversy, Van der Velden articulated her vision: “She is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art. Nothing – certainly not an AI character – can take away the craft or joy of human performance.” Tilly’s own Instagram bio poignantly captures this sentiment: “You’ll either get it or pretend you don’t.”
The Genesis of an AI Star
The inspiration for Tilly struck when Van der Velden noticed a proliferation of AI influencers gracing her social media feeds. This observation sparked the idea to create her own AI persona.
“It was like a creative experiment,” Van der Velden explained. “I am a scientist as well as an artist and I thought, ‘let me try this out and see what I can do.’ It was never meant maliciously. She was never going to take anyone’s jobs or anything like that, and we still haven’t done that.”
Upon her debut, Tilly was heralded as a potential successor to stars like Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman. Her Instagram presence features simulated filming tests and even mock-ups of her superimposed onto the iconic red couch of The Graham Norton Show.
While much of the criticism directed at Tilly centred on the potential displacement of human actors, Van der Velden firmly stresses that there are no intentions for Tilly to appear on screen alongside real-life actors.
The Future of Entertainment: The “Tillyverse” and Beyond
Instead, Tilly is slated to feature in AI-generated content, with several productions already in development. For Van der Velden, AI actors represent an inevitable evolution in the screen industry, predicting an upcoming “creative renaissance.” She views embracing this technology as a crucial step in “future-proofing” her career.
Van der Velden sees Tilly as an “extension” of herself, a “vessel” through which to express creativity.
“You can still be creative – all those creative thoughts still go into Tilly when she needs to become a new character. All of that creative energy and skill is in there. I’ve been more creative than ever before – even more so than as an actor,” she shared.
The introduction of Tilly has undeniably spurred crucial conversations about the role of artificial intelligence in the entertainment landscape, a goal Van der Velden openly admits she intended to achieve.
“I wanted to help the creative industry prepare for this creative revolution that is coming,” she stated. “It’s a new evolution in our industry and us as creatives need to be prepared for it. If we hadn’t done it, someone else would have. I was very happy I was able to inform everyone of where the tech is at with something like Tilly.”
Addressing the Fear of Job Displacement
Regarding the prevailing “fearmongering” that AI will lead to widespread job losses, Van der Velden asserts that her experience has shown the opposite. “It’s actually hiring a crazy amount of people for jobs that haven’t existed before. So actually, I think it’s job creation that is happening rather than job losses.”
When probed about the biggest misconception surrounding Tilly and AI actors, Van der Velden highlighted the common belief that their creation requires minimal effort. In reality, a team of fifteen individuals collaborated to bring Tilly to life.
“People just think it’s a button you press and she gets created, as opposed to there being a whole team working to create her and build up a whole universe and brain – what she thinks, sounds and looks like. There is so much to create and just using these tools in order to do it and experimenting in a new creative way,” she elaborated. “There is real humanity and humans behind this.” She drew a parallel to the initial concerns raised when animation first emerged.
Industry Interest and a Glimpse into the Future
Despite the vocal opposition from some industry professionals, several directors have already expressed keen interest in collaborating with Tilly. However, owing to the ongoing sensitivities, these directors have opted to remain anonymous for the time being.
“We understand it’s tricky out there. But we are giving people time to accept that this is where it is going,” Van der Velden explained.
Looking ahead, she confidently predicts that “very few films will be made without AI” in the coming years.
“That will be unheard of – it will be like not using electricity or Wi-Fi. But there are humans behind these characters which will make people feel more comfortable with the idea of AI actors. We are already seeing it on the internet – but just not an AI A-lister yet.”
While Van der Velden aimed for Tilly to be a “groundbreaking” disruptor, she admits she did not anticipate the sheer magnitude of the public’s reaction.
Acknowledging the public’s concerns, she also shared her own initial feelings of apprehension upon seeing her first AI-generated image. However, she now views AI actors and musicians as “basically an extension of the people that created them,” drawing a comparison to writers who bring characters to life on paper.
As Tilly’s first major projects draw closer to announcement, Van der Velden stands by her groundbreaking invention, viewing it as a pivotal first step in a significant overhaul of the screen industry.
“As an artist you just want to spark a conversation – it doesn’t matter if positive or negative. That’s the point of the art – creating something to get people talking and we did that and I’m really happy,” she concluded.
“Hopefully it sparks a lot of people future-proofing themselves because that is the goal. And I think loads of companies, studios and actors have taken steps since Tilly has been released to future-proof themselves as part of this new world. I am happy and proud to have been able to help with that.”
