Tilly Norwood is making waves in Hollywood — and she is not human. The AI “actress” was created by U.K. company Particle6 and its AI division, Xicoia. She is designed to act, model, and appear across social media platforms.
Norwood debuted at the Zurich Film Festival’s industry summit. Her realistic appearance, green eyes, British accent, and social media presence have drawn both fascination and criticism. She has over 60,000 Instagram followers.
Her creators describe her as a “digital human” capable of performing like top actresses. Eline van der Velden, her producer, says Norwood is adaptable, always available, and immune to scandal. They see her as a tool to expand creativity in film and media.
The reaction from Hollywood has been mixed. Actors unions condemned her creation. Talent agencies said they will not represent AI clients. Some actors, including Emily Blunt and Betty Gilpin, criticized her as lacking real human emotion. SAG-AFTRA issued a statement opposing AI performers replacing human actors.
Legal and ethical questions also arise. Experts worry about training data, consent, and transparency. Viewers may not realize Norwood is not a human performer. Some ethicists say audiences must be informed when seeing AI actors.
Despite the backlash, her creators maintain that Norwood is a creative tool, not a replacement for human talent. Van der Velden calls AI characters “a new paintbrush” and says they should be judged as their own genre.
Norwood continues to post, act, and promote herself online. Her existence has reignited debates in Hollywood about AI’s role in entertainment, the value of human performance, and the future of storytelling.
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