Creators of first non-human actress Tilly Norwood issue eerie update and it’s sparked fury
Topics: Artificial intelligence, Entertainment, Technology, Celebrity, TV And Film
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Instagram / TillyNorwood
Topics: Artificial intelligence, Entertainment, Technology, Celebrity, TV And Film
The creator of AI actress, Tilly Norwood, has revealed something major and it’s got people fired up.
For those who have no idea who Tilly is, she’s the new actress on the scene who's said to 'be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman,' however, she’s far from real.
Tilly is not a real-life person and is actually entirely computer-generated and made by artificial intelligence.
Because of this, she’s had a lot of backlash, and has even responded to the comments ‘herself’.
Advert
Celebrities have been vocal about her creation and what this means for the industry, such as Emily Blunt, who was shocked.
When asked in an interview about AI actors, she said: “'Does it disappoint me?' I don’t know how to quite answer it, other than to say how terrifying this is.
"No, are you serious? That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed."
Blunt added: "That is really, really scary, Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.”
But actress and technologist Eline Van der Velden, who created Tilly, sat down for a Deadline-moderated panel at the Zurich Summit in September, said she didn’t expect such a reaction.
When she first found out about the negative press, she responded in kind.
Taking to Instagram, she hit back with: "To those who have expressed anger over the creation of my AI character, Tilly Norwood, she 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.”
She said the goal is 'AI not as a replacement for people' but as a new tool, writing: "AI offers another way to imagine and build stories.”
Now, she seems to want to expand this tool to 40 new characters.
Speaking to Deadline, she said her next plan in life is to ‘create 40 very diverse characters to build her whole universe and to play in this AI genre with a whole new cast'.
Confirming that she’s ‘got a few in the in the making but none are ready for release’, she’s just waiting until she’s ‘happy’ with them to release her work.
But how do you think people reacted to the news?
You guessed it – not too well.
When social media heard about this expansion, users were not pleased.
One person wrote: “I will never NEVER go to a movie that has an AI actor.”
Another commented: “I'm not gonna watch them. This is disgraceful.”
Someone else shared: “Only people who hate actual cinema would support this.”
While there are those who think it’s a great advancement and opportunity for technology, ultimately, it’s all down to personal opinion.
Tyla reached out to representatives for Eline Van der Velden for comment.