The creator of AI actress Tilly Norwood has put out a statement following a fierce backlash in response to news over the weekend that talent agents were looking to sign the AI-generated character.
Tilly Norwood is the creation of actress, comedian and technologist Eline Van der Velden, CEO of AI-focused production company Particle 6, who has also just launched AI talent studio Xicoia.
“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 a statement made available to Deadline and posted on social networks.
“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.
“Creating Tilly has been, for me, an act of imagination and craftsmanship, not unlike drawing a character, writing a role, or shaping a performance. It takes time, skill, and iteration to bring such a character to life. She represents experimentation, not substitution. Much of my work has always been about holding up a mirror to society through satire, and this is no different.”
Van der Velden soft-launched Norwood earlier this year, with accounts on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, ahead of officially announcing the creation of Xicoia last week.
The character has been slowly building a following but the revelation in a panel at the film industry-focused Zurich Summit over the weekend that talent agents were circling Norwood with the intention of signing the character as a client has sparked fierce debate.
Melissa Barrera, Kiersey Clemons and Toni Collette are among a raft of actors to have expressed their displeasure at the development on the social networks, with some even suggesting a boycott of agencies that work with AI talent.
Van der Velden suggested in her statement that AI characters should not be compared directly with human actors.
“AI characters should be judged as part of their own genre, on their own merits… 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.”
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