The controversy over “AI actor” Tilly Norwood continues to grow after actors' union Sag AFTRA denounced the development and said Norwood creators were “using stolen performances.”
Sag-Aftra issued a statement after AI “Talent Studio” Xicoia announced its creation at the Zurich Film Festival, urging immediate backlash from actors such as Melissa Barrera, Mara Wilson and Ralph Inneson. Sag-Aftra believes that creativity “and should remain human-centric. Unions are opposed to the change of human-performers by composites.”
The union added: “Tilley Norwood” is not an actor, but a character generated by computer programs trained in the work of countless professional performers. Without permission or compensation…it will not resolve the “problem”.
Norwood appeared in a short film called AI Commissioner, produced by Particle 6, whose CEO, Eline van der Velden, said it was “100% AI-generated.” Van der Werden, who launched Xicoia in Zurich, issued a statement on Sunday defending the film, saying, “AI offers new tools, or CGIs opening up new possibilities and how to imagine and imagine stories, just as new tools, new paintings, or CGIs opening up new possibilities without taking away from live performance.”
Van der Werden added: “Tillie's creation is, for me, an act of imagination and craftsmanship, unlike drawing characters, writing roles, shaping performances. It takes time, skill and repetition to bring such a character back to life.”
Smashing Machine star Emily Blunt added her voice to members of the film industry who were surprised by Norwood's creations, telling various podcasts:
Natasha Lyon, the Russian doll star who uses “ethical” AI to work on feature films, said on social media:
