It might sound like a subplot from “Westworld” or “Blade Runner,” but it’s all too real (if also all too artificial): The recently launched AI talent studio Xicoia introduced AI-generated “actor” Tilly Norwood at the Zurich Film Festival’s summit conference Sept. 27, with multiple studios and talent agents allegedly lining up to represent the synthetic performer. Xicoia founder Eline Van Der Velden’s announcement immediately generated controversy within the industry, particularly regarding performers’ rights and the intrinsic value of art.
AI and the Entertainment Industry: A Backstage Special ReportSAG-AFTRA soon released a statement condemning the move:
“SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics.
“To be clear, ‘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, 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, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.
“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.”
AI protections were a key part of negotiations during the historic 2023 actors’ strike, with then–SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher calling AI “a huge threat.”
Beyond the heady, existential questions of creativity, originality, and identity it engenders, AI contributes to an “algorithmic economy” that is harmful to performers, according to writer-producer-scholar Jonathan Taplin. He said that since “the algorithms narrow the funnel,” that leads to “outsize paychecks for a few”—and the rest are left struggling to make ends meet.
Hollywood’s biggest names are voicing their displeasure and fear. The situation is “terrifying,” said Emily Blunt in an interview with Variety. “Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.”
Whoopi Goldberg spoke out against the AI-generated performer on “The View,” explaining that it will oversaturate the acting market. “The problem with this, in my humble opinion, is that you are suddenly up against something that’s been generated with 5,000 other actors,” she said.
“I beg every actor I know to [please] boycott this,” Abigail Breslin posted on Instagram. “If your agency is trying to sign an AI actor, you should leave them. It’s such a fuck you to the entire craft. Also… not for nothing but it’s a ‘female AI actress’ so basically just another way for men to control and narrate the female experience. This is fucked.”
Van Der Velden responded to the growing backlash with a statement calling the synthetic performer a “creative work.”
“Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity,” she posted on Instagram. “I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool—a new paintbrush. Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories. I’m an actor myself, and nothing—certainly not an AI character—can take away the craft or joy of human performance.”
The statement was cross-posted to the Instagram account for Tilly Norwood, where it received thousands of comments—nearly all of them negative—before the comments were disabled.