“Tilly was meant to inspire, not replace human performers,” Van der Velden said.
In a Facebook post, she emphasized that Norwood is a “creative work—a piece of art” designed to provoke discussion about the evolving boundaries of performance.
The AI actress made her debut through a series of short, hyper-realistic video clips and social media appearances. Viewers were astonished by her lifelike expressions and emotional delivery, prompting questions about how close technology has come to replicating authentic human performance.
SAG-AFTRA Union Draws a Line
The SAG-AFTRA actors’ union swiftly issued a response, arguing that Tilly Norwood was a computer-generated creation, not a performer, and warning that the use of synthetic characters could threaten the protections established after the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
As Reuters reported, the union stressed that “real performance relies on human emotion, labor, and consent.” The emergence of AI-driven characters like Norwood, they warned, risks undermining the core of artistic labor and the rights of performers to control their likeness and voice.
