Hollywood faces a true AI scare as studios reportedly want to work with AI actress Tilly Norwood

After the 2023 actors and writers’ strike, it seems the controversy in the Hollywood entertainment industry would erupt again, as ‘’to be’’ AI actress, Tilly Norwood, has been reportedly greenlit by the talent agents as they have shown interest in signing the AI-generated model in their upcoming projects. 

Eline Van der Velden joined the panel at the Zurich Summit, where she discussed AI in the entertainment industry after her presentation on Particle6 (her AI production studio). Eline is not just a tech expert; the actor and comedian shared with Verena Puhm, who leads Luma AI’s Studio Dream Lab LA, that her AI talent company, Xicoia, is attracting attention from multiple Hollywood talent agents. 

Eline promotes her creation, Tilly Norwood, as ‘’castable, directable, and available on demand actress.” This could appeal to directors and filmmakers as it eliminates actors’ hefty paychecks, scheduling conflicts, and unreasonable demands.

It’s a scary sign for the Hollywood professionals as AI is now about to step into their place. What was once a debate about AI taking our jobs now seems close to coming true. If Tilly Norwood gets a lead role, it will surely be something exciting and new for the audience.

At the Zurich Summit, Eline said that talent companies are starting to accept AI, and a big public announcement about it could happen soon. She hinted that her AI model, Tilly Norwood, will soon become an actress by officially entering the Hollywood industry, as her ‘’AI talent studio Xicoia is in talks with a number of talent agents.’’

Here’s what Eline Van der Velden shared about the possibility of Tilly Norwood becoming the first-ever AI actress 

News about Tilly Norwood possibly getting signed by an agent came shortly after Eline Van der Velden launched Xicoia, an AI talent studio under Particle6. The studio’s goal is to create, manage, and make money from hyperreal digital stars, who work next to the real human actors. 

She said, 

“We were in a lot of boardrooms around February time, and everyone was like, ‘No, this is nothing. It’s not going to happen’. Then, by May, people were like, ‘We need to do something with you guys.’ When we first launched Tilly, people were like, ‘What’s that?’, and now we’re going to be announcing which agency is going to be representing her in the next few months.''

Initially, the agencies were not in favour of bringing an AI model, but now the tables have turned for the AI tech companies. Verena Puhm, head of Luma AI’s new Studio Dream Lab LA, agreed with Van der Velden that studios are beginning to change their views and accept AI.

She said, 

“I remember having meetings with the studios as an AI artist before joining Luma. Some said, ‘Oh, no, we’re not using AI.’ I knew some were lying, they were already secretly working on some stuff, but some were not open to it at all. Then definitely this year, kind of like March, April, people called me and wanted to talk to me.”

Puhm added, 

“They were discussing me being a liaison between directors and the AI artists… at that time I was traveling around a lot and educating about workflows and pipelines and how it can be integrated, and then all a sudden that was becoming very interesting to them. It was a different language to them and they were like, ‘We really have to get people from the outside that have worked in the AI industry. ''

‘’Historically, the studios have been very slow to adapt, at least publicly, they need that influx of new creatives, and new creative technologists to come in and actually show them how it’s done. You can assume that a lot of them are already working on it. We really want to make them feel comfortable through their testing, through their projects, and working on real projects… we want it to be their decision on when they want to say it out loud, but honestly, I think this year is going to be interesting. In the beginning of next year, there’s going to be a lot of announcements.”

Who is Tilly Norwood, the first-ever AI actress

The website designed by Particle6 for Tilly Norwood shows that she is based in London and has access to Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Eline even shared a LinkedIn post explaining her creation, which is ’’trained to 'perform with nuance, emotion, and consistency,’’’ and further explained that Tilly has been built using 10 different tools. 

Her post read:

 ‘’At Particle6, we believe AI won't replace human creativity - it will amplify it. The future of entertainment isn't human or synthetic. It's both."

For her, AI can make productions faster and cheaper, and audiences care more about the story than whether the actor is real, soft-launching her upcoming AI actress, Tilly Norwood.