The entertainment world witnessed a new turning point with the arrival of Tilly Norwood, a fully synthetic “actress” created by Particle 6 and its AI studio, Xicoia. With no lived experiences or real emotions, Tilly’s “performances” are reportedly generated from algorithms and Hollywood is not amused. Major talent agencies have taken notice, but the reaction has been overwhelmingly critical.
The Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG‑AFTRA) condemned the use of Tilly Norwood, citing concerns that she lacks genuine human experience and that her digital “work” was trained using unlicensed performances. The union is demanding that producers adhere to existing contracts and engage in collective bargaining before employing AI actors.
Critics warn that Tilly doesn’t fix any production challenges — she creates new ones: ethical dilemmas, job displacement, and devaluation of human craft. In response, voices like Emily Blunt have voiced alarm. On a podcast with Variety, Blunt said: “That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.”
SAG‑AFTRA’s statement: “‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation. It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion … audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience.”
Still, the creators defend their creation. Eline Van der Velden, founder of Particle 6, says that Tilly is meant to serve as a tool for the industry, not a replacement. She’s argued that studios already use AI behind the scenes, and that their creation simply brings it to the front. Still, most in Hollywood see Tilly as a red flag, a challenge to the very idea of what acting is and who gets to do it. Is the rise of AI actors like Tilly Norwood a sign of the future — or a threat to the soul of performance?
