AI actress Tilly Norwood's creator defends recent criticism

(NewsNation) — The creator of AI actress Tilly Norwood is facing scrutiny after she revealed that talent agents are interested in signing Norwood as a client.

Norwood was recently created by Eline Van der Velden, an actress, comedian, technologist and CEO of AI-centric production company Particle 6.

Over the weekend, Van der Velden spoke at the Zurich Summit during the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland and announced that Norwood would soon be signing with a talent agency, drawing harsh criticism from movie fans and notable figures in the entertainment industry.

“When we first launched Tilly, people were like, ‘What’s that?’, and now we’re going to be announcing which agency is going to be representing her in the next few months,” Van der Velden told Deadline’s Diana Lodderhose at the summit.

Response to the backlash

Following the announcement, many in the entertainment industry expressed dismay with the prospect of an AI actress signing with a talent agency.

Actors including Melissa Barrera, Kiersey Clemons and Mara Wilson have taken to social media to call out Tilly Norwood and question why agencies would prefer AI actors to actual human talent.

“Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a$$. How gross, read the room,” Barrera wrote on her Instagram story.

Van der Velden responded to the backlash in a statement on social media, claiming that the AI actress “sparks conversation.”

“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,” Van der Velden wrote in the statement.

Van Der Velden argued that she doesn’t see AI as “a replacement for people, but as a new tool,” likening the technology to how “animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting.”

“I’m an actor myself, and nothing — certainly not an AI character — can take away the craft or joy of human performance,” she continued.

AI in entertainment

The entertainment industry has increasingly become the focus of AI projects.

Velvet Sundown, an AI band, made headlines this summer for their massive streaming success, accumulating over 250,000 monthly listeners and millions of streams on Spotify.

The band describes itself as a “synthetic music project guided by human creative direction, composed, voiced, and visualized with the support of artificial intelligence,” according to the Velvet Sundown Spotify page.

Critics of AI use in art argue that such technology detracts from the dedication artists put into their craft and could make it more difficult for humans to find work.

Some have called for lawmakers to regulate AI in the entertainment industry to protect artists and their work from being stolen or misused.

In March 2024, the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act was signed into law in Tennessee, marking the first time a state had enacted legislation to protect music industry professionals from the threats posed by AI.