‘Not an actor’: SAG-AFTRA criticises AI character Tilly Norwood

Los Angeles, Oct 1 (PTI) The Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has condemned the emergence of AI actor Tilly Norwood, calling it a computer-generated character trained on performers’ work without consent and lacking any real-life experience or emotion.

Dubbed Hollywood’s first “AI actor”, Norwood is the creation of Xicoia, a company that bills itself as the world’s first artificial intelligence talent studio.

The actor gained popularity after her creator, Eline Van der Velden, told an industry panel in Zurich that the film and television industry was welcoming artificial intelligence, with the virtual performer receiving multiple offers.

Since her launch, Norwood has generated widespread attention in Hollywood.

In a statement, the SAG-AFTRA condemned the creation of Norwood, saying that she is not an actor but a programme that has trained on the work of working professionals without notice or permission.

"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," the SAG-AFTRA said.

The organisation further said Norwood did not solve any real problem and instead created issues by using stolen performances, putting actors’ jobs at risk and devaluing human creativity.

"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," it added.

Many actors from Hollywood, including Natasha Lyonne, Melissa Barrera, Kiersey Clemons and Mara Wilson, have also opposed the AI creation on social media.

Lyonne, popular for her roles in "Poker Face", "Orange Is the New Black" and "Russian Doll," said those who work with the AI actor should be boycotted.

"Any talent agency that engages in this should be boycotted by all guilds," said Lyonne on Instagram.

“Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a**... How gross, read the room," Barrera said on social media.

When shown a picture of Norwood, Oscar-nominated actor Emily Blunt told Variety that the creation is scary.

"That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don't do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection," she said.

After the backlash, Van der Velden posted a statement, saying that Norwood is "not a replacement for a human being but a creative work".

"Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity. 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," she said.

AI was a major bargaining point during the lengthy SAG-AFTRA strike that concluded in late 2023, which resulted in some safeguards to protect the use of actors’ likenesses and performances.

A yearlong strike by video game actors also centered on AI protections. In July, video game performers approved a new contract requiring employers to obtain written permission before creating digital replicas of their work. PTI SMR SMR RB RB