SAG-AFTRA responds to the Tilly Norwood news, condemning the attempt to use the AI program for acting roles
She may be a cute face, but she could spell doom and gloom for the Hollywood film community and movie fans alike. Yesterday, it was reported that an AI program, which sports the good ol’ country name Tilly Norwood, could be the first AI actress to be signed to an agency. Instantly, many people have responded in a similar way that our very own commenters have to yesterday’s news — this is not a good situation, and it is a horrible precedent to set. The only people who seem to be remotely asking for this are those who want to save money on hiring real, live actors.
Variety reports that the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, recently responded to the news. The union recently spent months fighting issues like this in the strike of 2023. In a statement, SAG-AFTRA said,
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.”
The union added, “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 built using over 10 different AI tools, including ChatGPT and Runway, the combination of which is meant to allow AI talent agency Xicoia to create AI performers who could revolutionize the way artificial intelligence is used in the business. As reported by Deadline, those like Tilly Norwood have distinct voices and personalities and also have the ability to adapt instantly to change moods and tones depending on the audience. Eline Van der Velden, Tilly’s creator, says, “With Xicoia, we’re creating the first studio where AI-driven talent isn’t just a gimmick – it’s living, performing IP with depth humor and narrative arcs. We believe the next generation of cultural icons will be synthetic – stars that never tire, never age and can interact with fans. But just like the best entertainment companies, the key isn’t the technology – it’s the storytelling and people behind those stories.”
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