Topics: Artificial intelligence, Emily Blunt, News, World News, Entertainment, TV And Film, Celebrity
A slew of A-list stars are furiously protesting after hearing the news that an 'AI actress' called Tilly Norwood is reportedly attracting agency interest.
Yep that's right - we could be seeing a non-human person on our screens, made completely by artificial intelligence - and as you can imagine, the reaction hasn't been great.
AI has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and while it can be used for good, the more advanced it becomes, the more ethical questions are being raised.
It's hard to scroll through social media nowadays without coming across something that's not real - whether it's an AI content creator (yes, they exist) or a video of a horse jumping on a trampoline.
Advert
While to some, it's easy to detect which clips are AI-generated, for some people, including the older generations, it can prove more tricky.
But, if you stumbled across a picture or video of Tilly's, you wouldn't be the only one to mistakenly think she's a real actress.
Tilly Norwood is an AI-generated actress who has shot to internet fame with her, or should we say it's, videos and pictures, and even showreels on Instagram.
She currently has a whopping 32,000 followers on the social media platform.
But don't be fooled, the actress is an entirely virtual creation owned by Xicoia, a talent studio attached to the AI production company Particle6, reports the Independent.
And reportedly, they're preparing to sign her with a real-life major talent agency that normally works with humans, according to The Telegraph.
Variety also reported that while speaking at the Zurich Summit on Saturday (27 September), Tilly's creator Eline Van der Velden said that agents had been circling the AI actress and an announcement would be made over which agency would be representing her in the next few months.
Understandably, real-life actors are not best pleased about an AI robot coming along and competing with them for roles.
When shown the AI-generated actress, it's safe to say that The Devil Wears Prada star Emily Blunt was shocked.
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.”
And Whoopi Goldberg held a similar opinion, according to Entertainment Weekly.
The acting legend commented: "The problem with this, in my humble opinion, is that you are suddenly up against something that's been generated with 5,000 other actors.
"It's got Bette Davis' attitude, it's got Humphrey Bogart's lips."
But she defiantly later said: "And so it's a little bit of an unfair advantage. You know what? Bring it on. You can always tell them from us. We move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently."
Other celebrities who have also spoken out about the AI creation include Melissa Barrera, Lukas Gage, Toni Collette and Nicholas Alexander Chavez.
"Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their ass. How gross, read the room,” Melissa Barrera penned on Instagram.
While The White Lotus actor Gage, added a touch of humour by joking that Tilly was a 'nightmare to work with!!!!' and 'couldn’t her mark and was late!'
Following the wave of Hollywood backlash, creator Van der Velden has issued a lengthy statement on her own Instagram, as well as on Tilly's.
She wrote: "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.”
The creator added: "I see AI not as a replacement for people but as a new tool - a new paintbrush. Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories.
"I'm an actor myself - and nothing - certainly not an AI character - can take away the craft or joy of human performance."
She continued that creating the AI bot has been 'an act of imagination and craftsmanship' for her and compared it to 'drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance'.
The creator said it took 'time, skill and iteration' and Tilly represents 'experimentation' not 'substitution'.
"Much of my work has been about holding up a mirror to society through satire, and this is no different," she added.
Van der Velden ended the message with: “AI characters should be judged as part of their own genre, on their own merits, rather than compared directly with human actors. Each form of art has its place, and each can be valued for what it uniquely brings,” she wrote.
“I hope we can welcome AI as part of the wider artistic family; one more way to express ourselves, alongside theatre, film, painting, music, and countless others. When we celebrate all forms of creativity, we open doors to new voices, new stories, and new ways of connecting with each other.”
