AI character Tilly Norwood

Source: Particle6

AI character Tilly Norwood

US actors guild SAG-AFTRA has weighed in on the growing controversy surrounding the AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood, which talent agencies are now circling for representation.

“SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centred,” the guild said in a statment issued on Tuesday morning. ”The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics.”

The statement continued: “To be clear, ‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer programme that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation.

”It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience. It doesn’t solve any ‘problem’ — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardising performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.”

The guild’s comments followed remarks at Zurich Film Festival’s Industry Summit by Eline van der Velden, founder and CEO of London-based AI production company Particle6. Van der Velden told delegates she would soon announce the traditional agency that has come on board to represent the Norwood entity.

Van der Velden has just launched AI talent studio Xicoia to create, manage and monetise hyperreal digital stars and responded over the weekend to the growing backlash when she said Norwood was ”not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art”. Norwood, has soft-launched on TikTok, Instagram, and on a YouTube sketch.

However SAG-AFTRA, which went on strike for 118 days in 2023 during fraught negotiations over its renewable three-year contract that included AI provisions, is very clear on where it stands, and directed a remark to the studios and streamers with whom it negotiated with two years ago and will do so again in 2026 for the latest renewal talks.

“Additionally, signatory producers should be aware that they may not use synthetic performers without complying with our contractual obligations, which require notice and bargaining whenever a synthetic performer is going to be used,” the statement read.

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