SAG-AFTRA condemns AI actress Tilly Norwood, "it is an AI character"

SAG-AFTRA has strongly criticised the rise of Tilly Norwood, an AI creation that has sparked heated debate in Hollywood.

The guild argued that creativity must remain human-driven and said it opposes any attempt to replace actors with synthetic performers.

“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,” the organisation said. “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.”

The guild also warned production companies. “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.”

Tilly Norwood was developed by Particle6, an AI production studio.

Her creator, Eline Van der Velden, defended the project, saying the virtual character is not meant to replace humans.

“I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool, a new paintbrush,” she said. “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.”

Despite this defence, criticism has intensified.

Hollywood stars such as Melissa Barrera, Kiersey Clemons, and Mara Wilson have condemned the AI creation on social media. Whoopi Goldberg addressed the issue on The View, saying, “You can always tell them from us. We move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently.”

Oscar-nominated actor Emily Blunt also reacted with alarm when shown an image of Tilly during a Variety podcast. “Does it disappoint me? I don’t know how to quite answer it, other than to say how terrifying this is,” she said. “No, are you serious? That’s an AI? 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.”