Tilly Norwood is at the center of an industry flashpoint after her creator said talent agencies are circling the avatar and a signing could be announced soon. The remark was made onstage at the Zurich Summit, the Zurich Film Festival’s industry program. Eline van der Velden later issued a public clarification on Instagram, stressing that Tilly Norwood “is not a replacement for a human being.” The post went up on @tillynorwood on September 28, 2025. Tilly Norwood is presented as an AI actress built by Xicoia, a new AI-talent studio spun out of van der Velden’s production company Particle6.
The avatar first appeared in the short sketch AI Commissioner. The dispute now spans creator intent, agency representation, and worker impact. Readers are watching to see if any agency confirms a deal and how unions respond. Tilly Norwood is therefore a test case for how synthetic performers are framed, credited, and paid.
AI actress Tilly Norwood controversial: What exactly was said, where, and when
At the Zurich Summit, Eline van der Velden outlined plans to move Tilly Norwood toward formal representation. As per the Deadline interview report dated September 27, 2025, Eline van der Velden 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,”
The same report noted her earlier positioning for Tilly Norwood in mainstream star terms. As per TheWrap report dated September 28, 2025, Eline van der Velden stated on a LinkedIn post,
“Audiences care about the story — not whether the star has a pulse.”
Following criticism online, van der Velden posted a statement image on @tillynorwood dated September 28, 2025. The post reads,
“She is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work — a piece of art.”
It also says,
“I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool — a new paintbrush.”
It continues,
“She represents experimentation, not substitution.”
Public responses under the same Instagram post framed the dispute in terms of consent and compensation. One comment by a user read,
“You should release the names of every single individual ‘Tilly’ was modeled after and they should ALL receive royalties for anything grossed by this AI model.”
Another long reply by a user,
“This AI is being positioned to compete with real women for roles, representation, and agency… This isn’t innovation — it’s exploitation.”
These comments shaped the early narrative around Tilly Norwood and the limits of the AI actress label.
Who is Tilly Norwood, and who built her
Tilly Norwood is a hyper-real synthetic performer developed by Xicoia, an AI-talent studio launched by Eline van der Velden. Xicoia is a spin-off from Particle6, which van der Velden also leads. Particle6 is positioned as an AI-first production outfit with broadcast-ready work. Tilly Norwood’s first visible appearance was in the short comedy sketch AI Commissioner, produced by Particle6 and used as a proof-of-concept for screen readiness.
The studio describes Tilly Norwood as a character that can be directed and iterated like any created role, while the platform pitch presents her as a hireable asset for campaigns and narrative content. The aim is to place Tilly Norwood inside traditional production pipelines while emphasizing authorship by human creators.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Tilly Norwood, the AI actress created by Xicoia in AI Commissioner Comedy Sketch by Particle6. Image via YouTube/@Particle6 TV.