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A digital actress named Tilly Norwood, created entirely by artificial intelligence, has sparked a fierce debate in Hollywood. Designed by the startup Xicoia and unveiled at the Zurich Film Festival, Tilly is being promoted as the first “AI talent.” But actors’ union SAG-AFTRA is pushing back hard against what it calls a dangerous precedent.
Tilly Norwood, the virtual newcomer causing waves
Tilly Norwood is not real. She doesn’t breathe, never studied acting, and doesn’t flicker with lived experience behind her eyes. But her creators at Xicoia, led by Dutch filmmaker Eline Van der Velden, believe she could have a place in the entertainment world. Revealed with much fanfare in Switzerland, Tilly has already been introduced to talent agencies, styled to look like any up-and-coming actress building a career.
Van der Velden, aware of the controversy her creation could stir, sought to reassure audiences on Instagram, explaining that Tilly is not meant to replace anyone. She described the project as a form of artistic experimentation, comparing it to puppetry or animation. “She’s a character,” the creator wrote, “one we imagined, designed, and gave voice to with the help of AI.”
But that’s precisely the problem for many in the industry. To read Gwen Stefani headlines magical 2025 Disney Christmas Parade
SAG-AFTRA’s firm stance: “Not an actor”
The U.S. actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, which represents thousands of working performers, issued a sharp and unequivocal statement. For them, Tilly Norwood is not acting — she’s an output. “To be clear, ‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor,” the union wrote, “it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation.”
Beyond the legal questions, the union emphasized the emotional dimension: “No life experience to draw from, no emotion.” That rings true to me. The magnetism of cinema, its subtle power, often lies in personal pain, fleeting glances, buried truths that only human faces can carry. Can code deliver that?
SAG-AFTRA is also reminding studios that they can’t legally introduce AI-created characters into projects without prior negotiations. Their warning is clear:
- Productions using synthetic performers must notify and negotiate with the union.
- Current labor contracts don’t allow AI to be used in place of actors.
- Synthetic performances may break these contracts and lead to legal action.
For SAG-AFTRA, AI-generated characters are not just a technical curiosity. They’re a threat to real people’s livelihoods — and to the art itself.
A post-strike Hollywood already on edge
This new controversy doesn’t come out of nowhere. In 2023, the SAG-AFTRA strike brought Hollywood to a standstill, and one of the biggest sticking points was just this: how AI might be used to replicate—or replace—human talent. That strike ended with some protections promised, but Tilly’s arrival proves the debate is far from over. To read Toho expands into Europe with bold anime distribution moves
Actors like Melissa Barrera, Lukas Gage, Mara Wilson, and Toni Collette have voiced concern. For many, the idea of AI-generated characters being submitted to agents as if they were human talents crosses a moral line. Performance is more than movement or voice — it’s presence. And that simply can’t be programmed.
Van der Velden argues that Tilly is a toolbox, not a replacement. “Animation and CGI didn’t replace actors,” she says. “AI won’t, either.” But between the lines, you feel the anxiety: what happens when storytelling tools become indistinguishable from storytellers?
The emotion behind the argument
There’s undeniably something fascinating about the technology. Crafting a compelling character from scratch, blending code, animation, and AI voice modeling — it’s impressive on a purely technical level.
But I can’t help asking: does it move us?
Because that’s what cinema is about, right? Being moved, jolted, brought closer to lives other than our own. And that connection — that spark — is human. Augmented by tech, sure. But never replaced.
There’s a fine line between experimenting with form and hollowing out the soul of an art form. For now, the industry is walking it — warily, and not always together.
