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AI actress Tilly Norwood creator claims we should judge her by merit, but my
mind is already made up

Date:
Tue, 30 Sep 2025 10:45:11 +0000

Description:
Studio Xicoia has created AI actor Tilly Norwood, but despite what they say,
I'm concerned.

FULL STORY
======================================================================

Meet Tilly Norwood, the product of  the worlds first artificial intelligence 
( AI ) talent studio, Xicoia. She's got accounts all over social media, is
actively looking for agent representation and studios are reportedly [via
Deadline ] "circling" to get her in their movies. 

Unsurprisingly, this has received a wave of backlash from Hollywood actors 
and creators alike, alongside humble film and TV fans like me. Emily Blunt 
has dubbed the move [via Variety ] "really scary," urging agencies "not to do
that," but creator Eline Van der Velden has a different opinion. 

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, Van der Velden said at Zurich Film Festival. Like many forms of
art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power 
of creativity." 

But in a world that's already charged to the point of explosion, the last
thing we need right now is more sparked conversation. Instead of being one of
the best AI tools of 2025 , Norwood is one of the most unnecessary... but 
it's the broader changes to the streaming landscape that I fear the most.

On her path to (hopefully) securing an agency for Norwood in the next couple
of months, Van der Velden claims she should judged as part of their own 
genre, on their own merits, rather than compared directly with human actors. 

But we're not talking about the likes of gorgeous hand-drawn animation by
Studio Ghibli , or painstakingly crafted VFX and CGI we've seen hits like
Avatar and Dune . Sure, real people have made Norwood what she is, but she'd
be acting alongside real people, on real sets, in real life. 

As the X post above rightly suggests, there will likely be a big boycott from
our favorite A-list names when it comes to working with Norwood... if she 
even gets that far.  If we're indeed judging her on merit, that means copious
auditions, screen tests, rejections and extensive background work. 

But that's what I'm worried about the most. If Norwood is going to succeed
anywhere, it's in the streaming landscape  and once she sneaks into the likes
of a Netflix original movie, the floodgates are open. 

It's like dominoes: once one thing becomes acceptable, so does a multitude of
others. AI actors could be the gateway for complete AI productions, made by 
AI crew and produced by AI sponsors. We're already seeing people experiment
with this on a wider level (just look on YouTube ), but Norwood is exactly 
the sort of turning point to make AI reliance commonplace.

I sound like a dystopian dictator pitting the worth of AI against humans, but
I don't want to open any of the best streaming services around to watch
content generated by a machine. The best stories are the ones that come from
authentic experiences, heart, and raw vulnerability. 

People are messy and so are their lives, and that just can't be replicated on
the big or small screen. As Whoopi Goldberg said on The View: "You know what?
Bring it on. You can always tell them from us. We move differently, our faces
move differently, our bodies move differently. 

We're tech people at TechRadar, so obviously we know AI has its time and
place. But I can't help thinking of that viral quote from Joanna Maciejewska
when it comes to the likes of Tilly Norwood: "I want AI to do my laundry and
dishes so I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so
that I can do my laundry and dishes."

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/streaming/entertainment/ai-actress-tilly-norwood-cre
ator-claims-we-should-judge-her-by-merit-but-my-mind-is-already-made-up

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