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The creator of the artificial intelligence-generated actress, Tilly Norwood, has released a statement addressing the controversy.
As reported by Deadline, Eline Van der Velden, creator of the AI actress and CEO of AI-focused production company Particle 6, released a statement regarding the backlash after it was announced that talent agents were planning to sign Norwood as an actress. Read the statement below:
To those who have expressed anger over the creation of my AI character, Tilly Norwood, she is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art. 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.
Creating Tilly has been, for me, an act of imagination and craftsmanship, not unlike drawing a character, writing a role, or shaping a performance. It takes time, skill, and iteration to bring such a character to life. She represents experimentation, not substitution. Much of my work has always been about holding up a mirror to society through satire, and this is no different.
AI characters should be judged as part of their own genre, on their own merits… Each form of art has its place, and each can be valued for what it uniquely brings.
I hope we can welcome AI as part of the wider artistic family; one more way to express ourselves, alongside theatre, film, painting, music, and countless others. When we celebrate all forms of creativity, we open doors to new voices, new stories, and new ways of connecting with each other.
This is a developing story…