An artificial intelligence-made actress has Hollywood buzzing as some in the entertainment industry are expressing concerns over the creation.
Tilly Norwood is the talk of Tinseltown as of late. The actress, generated by artificial intelligence production studio Particle6, was created using 10 different AI tools. The company describes Norwood and its other creations as “hyper-realistic digital avatars” that can be used in campaigns and other forms of media.
According to Particle6 CEO Eline Van der Velden, Norwood’s attracted the attention of several talent agents. However, fellow actors have expressed sharp criticism over the AI.
“Our agents and our managers have to be partners in this because when we don’t get hired, they don’t get their commission,” said actress and producer Anne-Marie Johnson. “This is no laughing matter.”
Norwood’s existence is one of the points that were heavily spoken about during the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA’s strike of 2023. Unions such as SAG-AFTRA are continuing to fight to regulate the use of AI on the big screen.
In a statement on Tuesday, the union denounced Particle6’s apparent search to seek representation for Norwood.
“SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics,” the union’s statement read. “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. It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience. It doesn’t solve any ‘problem’ — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.
“Additionally, signatory producers should be aware that they may not use synthetic performers without complying with our contractual obligations, which generally require notice and bargaining whenever a synthetic performer is going to be used.”
After fierce backlash from Hollywood and social media users who chimed in on the matter, Particle6 issued its own statement saying their creation is “not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art. Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.”
To read Particle6’s statement in full, click here.