By Brigid Amoroso

Staff Writer

Tilly Norwood is a young aspiring actress. She is in her early 20s, with long brunette hair and large brown eyes. Based in London, she speaks with a British accent in promotional videos and on social media. In July, she starred in her first role in a comedy sketch that predicted the future of TV and film development. She is incredibly enthusiastic about her future as an actress.

The problem with Tilly Norwood is that she isn’t a real person. Instead, she is taking opportunities away from real actors and limiting human connection.

Tilly Norwood is an AI actress created by an AI production company called Particle6, which was founded by Dutch actress and comedian Eline Van Der Velden in 2015. Recently, she announced at the Zurich Film Festival that Particle6 will be creating its own AI talent agency, Xicoia, to create and manage this new wave of digital talent. Tilly Norwood is one of their first digital actors. Van Der Velden said she wants Tilly Norwood “to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman.”

Tilly has profiles on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and even LinkedIn, where she has accumulated more than 66,000 followers on Instagram. Her likeness, however, is suggested to be an amalgamation of a variety of other actresses and celebrities. Notably, people have compared her looks to actresses Ana de Armas and Gal Gadot. Strikingly, musician and TikToker Stella Hennen posted a TikTok showing a side-by-side comparison of herself and Tilly Norwood where the similarities were uncanny.

Tilly Norwood has sparked controversy over the last few months, earning criticism from the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which stated: “We believe creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics.” Just two years ago, SAG-AFTRA went on a four-month-long strike protesting for better wages and working conditions. One of their major concerns was the development of AI and what it could mean for their jobs.

Actors such as Betty Gilpin, Emily Blunt, and Natasha Lyonne have also voiced concerns regarding Tilly Norwood and others like her. When presented with a picture of Tilly Norwood, Emily Blunt said, “That is really, really scary” and “Please stop taking away our human connection.” Natasha Lyonne noted that talent agencies that work with this kind of AI should be boycotted. Betty Gilpin wrote a letter addressed to Tilly Norwood warning people about what her presence could mean for the media.

The issue with Tilly Norwood is that she has no control over what she does or says, which is an advantage she contributes to the film and TV industry. She is not capable of pushing back or deciding what projects she wants to be a part of. For instance, the AI actress was featured in a recreation of the infamous Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad that sparked outrage a few months ago. This offers another advantage to the industry because, unlike with a human being, they don’t have to adequately pay for her work or provide sufficient working conditions. For the industry, using AI actors provides an excuse not to treat real actors fairly.

Additionally, Tilly Norwood cannot draw from real-life experiences in her performances like real actors can. An actor’s authenticity comes from their ability to make people believe their emotions and actions, which is impossible for AI to recreate. Like Tilly Norwood’s appearance, her personality and acting skills are just an amalgamation of other actresses. She has no emotional depth and cannot create human connection. So, not only is the creation of these AI actors taking away opportunities from real actors, but it is copying their work as well.

The presence and appearance of AI have grown exponentially over the last few years. Right now, it is in an unprecedented state. Some may say that the advancements AI has made in the film industry are going to help the industry expand, but really these people want to cut costs and gain more control by any means necessary—even if that means getting rid of jobs for human actors and limiting human connection with the audience.