Hollywood industries have been struggling with artificial intelligence in music and entertainment, as many fear AI could replace human roles. Adding another concern to the mix is AI actress Tilly Norwood.
London-based comedian and writer Eline Van der Velden announced at the Zurich Summit on Saturday that her AI talent studio, Xicoia, is in talks with talent agencies to sign Norwood.
Artist reveals industry secrecy
AI artist Verena Puhm was also on the panel with Van der Velden.
“I remember having meetings with the studios as an AI artist before joining Luma,” Puhm said, according to Deadline. “Some said, ‘Oh, no, we’re not using AI.’ I knew some were lying. They were already secretly working on some stuff, but some were not open to it at all. Then definitely this year, kind of like March, April, people called me and wanted to talk to me.”
Puhm added that “big companies and studios” were already developing AI-assisted projects. She signed a nondisclosure agreement and was unable to share further details.
Online pushback
Many social media users are calling out Norwood’s Instagram account. Captions say things like, “Had such a blast filming some screen tests recently.”
One person replied, “You did not film anything, this isn’t real!!!!!!” Another wrote, “How does a non sentient MACHINE ‘have a blast’ exactly??”
Norwood’s account also features lifestyle posts — staged moments of her outdoors photographing nature, contemplating cleaning an AI-generated bedroom and even grabbing coffee.
“My toxic trait is thinking iced coffee is a year-round personality,” one caption reads. A user shot back, “Putting human emotion on an AI creation has to be some sort of psychosis.”
Celebrities are also speaking out. Melissa Barrera from “In the Heights” wrote on her Instagram Story, “Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a—. How gross, read the room.”
Actor Brandon Flynn left a thumbs-down emoji on Deadline’s Instagram post about Norwood.
Van der Velden responds
On Sunday, Van der Velden posted a statement to Norwood’s account addressing the backlash.
“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,” Van der Velden wrote. “Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.”
She continued, “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.”
Van der Velden added that creating Norwood was “an act of imagination and craftsmanship, not unlike drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance.”
Music industry joins resistance
The pushback against AI is not limited to film. Just last week, SAN reported on music artists who criticized Xania Monet, an AI-generated singer who signed a $3 million deal with Hallwood Media. Mississippi poet Telisha Jones writes the lyrics and stories behind Monet’s catalog, but the vocals are fully AI.
Grammy-nominated singer Kehlani shared her anger in a now-deleted TikTok video. “Nothing and no one on earth will ever be able to justify AI to me, especially not f—-g AI in the creative arts in which people have worked hard for,” she said.
Kehlani added that people have “worked hard for, trained for, slept on the floor for, got injuries for, worked for their entire lives.”
Singer SZA also voiced her opposition. On Instagram Stories, she said AI devalues music and harms the environment.
“Hey I hate AI. If you f— w me PLEASE don’t make any AI images of me or songs. Ppl and children are dying from the harm n pollution AI energy centers are creating,” she wrote.
A new chapter in entertainment
According to Billboard, the bidding war for Monet ended with Hallwood Media offering $3 million. The payout went to Jones and her team.
A similar structure could apply to Van der Velden and Xicoia if Norwood gets signed.
A similar attempt was made back in 2001 when Square Pictures released “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.” The studio promoted its computer-generated lead character, Aki Ross, as the first photorealistic CGI actress. They even positioned her as a digital star who could appear in future movies and other opportunities. At the time, audiences weren’t ready to embrace a CGI character, and the film lost millions of dollars.
If the deal goes through for Van der Velden, Norwood would become the first AI-generated actress to sign with a talent agency. She could even work alongside human celebrities, marking a historic and controversial shift in entertainment.
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