Creator defends AI 'actor' Tilly Norwood after feature film backlash
Eline van der Velden, founder of Particle6, is defending her AI-generated character Tilly Norwood against industry backlash. Critics, including the SAG-AFTRA union, argue that such synthetic actors threaten human jobs and raise ethical concerns regarding training data.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing tension between creative industries and AI developers regarding labor rights, intellectual property, and the future of human performance.
The founder of the studio behind AI "actor" Tilly Norwood has defended the character amid backlash from parts of the entertainment industry, saying she aims to spark debate and showcase possibilities rather than replace human performers.
"Tilly was made to be a talking point," said Dutch actor-producer Eline van der Velden, who founded London-based AI production studio Particle6 in 2015. "I'm glad that she's entertaining people, whether it's positively or negatively."
Criticism has intensified after Particle6 announced this month that Tilly Norwood would lead a feature film, "Misaligned." Set in a digital realm called the "Tillyverse," the comedy-drama follows an AI being "with no real body, no childhood and no lived experience."
The project is in early development. Particle6's tools can currently only generate up to 30 seconds of video, but van der Velden said she hopes to complete it within 12 months.
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