One Dutch creator is trying to make an AI generated persona the next Hollywood starlet, ruffling feathers in the industry while leaving audiences unsettled, reports the BBC.
When Hollywood’s powerful actors’ union SAG-AFTRA went on strike two years ago, one of the main sticking points was studios potentially using AI to replicate their likeness without compensation. The deal that ended the months-long strike included historic protections against such fears but now actors are facing a new digital threat: an AI “actor” called Tilly Norwood.
Envisioned by Dutch creator Eline van der Velden as the “next Scarlett Johansson,” the presentation of her now two-month-old creation and claims of Hollywood interest drew disgusted responses from many in the industry, with actors taking to social media to pan Norwood and anyone who deigned to work with the avatar.
SAG-AFTRA issued a statement asserting their belief that “creativity is, and should remain, human-centred.” They panned Norwood as nothing more than “a character generated by a computer programme” with “no life experience to draw from, no emotion.” Rather than solving a problem, the union said, Norwood threatens the livelihoods of actors and devalues human artistry.
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At the Zurich presentation, Norwood touted an AI production studio and new AI talent agency Xicola, suggesting that studios and agencies were embracing AI under the radar. That, as well as the promise of high-profile projects in the coming months, is what kicked off the firestorm.
As backlash intensified, van der Velden took to Norwood’s Instagram to insist that her creation is “not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art.” She described Norwood as “not unlike drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance.”
That “creative work,” limited to an Instagram feed and a single AI-generated comedy sketch called AI Commissioner, drew scathing reviews from outlets like the Guardian. Writer Stuart Heritage described Norwood as an “uncanny fusion of Gal Gadot, Ana de Armas and High School Musical-era Vanessa Hudgens.” The sketch itself is “pointless and creepy and – most damningly of all – relentlessly unfunny to watch.”
Despite its flaws and general unpopularity, racking up around 200,000 views in two months, Heritage still sees the technology as a threat to real actors. His readers agree. “The genie is not going back in the bottle,” one wrote. “I’m sure ostlers and bridlemakers were furious with Gottlieb Daimler and Henry Ford but if AI content proves to be useful and cost-effective then it cannot be stopped.”
