The creators of Tilly Norwood may have underestimated the impact of developing an actress with artificial intelligence, but she was adamant that she would not take away the work of “real actors”.
Norwood was in the news again on Friday as creator Eline van der Velden sought to allay concerns that an “AI actress” would take roles away from real actors. Felden's statement came Friday amid massive backlash against the new technology and Norwood's role in it, and the Xicoia CEO said he understands why people need time to recover.
“As an artist, you always try to resonate with something that evokes interest and thought in the audience, so I underestimated Tilly's impact on the world,” van der Velden told The Associated Press in a video interview. “After all, as an artist, that was the effect I was aiming for. I was trying to show the world the current state of technology.”
In the video, van der Velden breaks down her intentions regarding the creation of “Norwood,” which sparked controversy in September as artificial intelligence becomes an ever-present concern in Hollywood. Van der Velden used an interview with The Associated Press to insist that he had no intention of letting Norwood take away opportunities from real actors. In fact, she claims her company rejected “any role in the traditional film and television industry.”
The comments come after Van der Velden claimed earlier this year that he would sign Norwood “within the next few months”, and several talent agencies said they would no longer represent Norwood.
Van der Velden announced that she and her company are looking for new employees to pull from the “traditional film and television industry” to help run Norwood. Finally, she likened AI to its own “genre” that is still in its infancy.
“We like people who have experience and bring that experience to this new art form using AI,” she told The Associated Press. “We're looking for comedy writers and production coordinators, and we've given them all really funky job titles because it's a whole new era of creativity.”
Watch an interview with the creator in the video above.
