A new actress has entered Hollywood; but she’s not like everyone else. Tilly Norwood is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated actress created by Eline Van der Velden, the founder of the Particle6 Group. Announced in May 2025, Norwood has sparked backlash and ethical debates within the entertainment industry concerning AI in films and television (TV).
Norwood was created by the AI division of Particle6 Group called Xicoia in May 2025. Since her Instagram was made, she has amassed over 65,800 followers as of Monday, Nov. 3.
“We want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman, that’s the aim of what we’re doing,” Van der Velden said at a panel during the Zurich Film Festival. She pointed out that the film and TV industry was going through economic challenges and would be looking towards AI production for support.
Van der Velden has also created a new debate: do audiences care more about the plot of a film or TV show than they do about the actors being real or AI?
The creation of Norwood introduces another aspect of AI usage in Hollywood as it begins to be used for video generation, camera systems like track action, visual effects, lighting and more. While this new aspect to filmmaking can be seen as a way to cut the cost of production, there are concerns that it is a threat to the creativity and artistry of creating film and TV.
During a panel at the third annual Runway AI Film Festival in Los Angeles in June 2025, Vice Chairman of Lionsgate Michael Burns said AI is, “being used by everybody that doesn’t talk about the fact that they’re using it.” The film company signed a deal with Runway AI, Inc. to train their video generation on their movies and TV shows.
Many actors like Emily Blunt and Simu Liu spoke out against Norwood and emphasized the importance of human connection in the media. The union that represents actors – the Screen Actors Guild-American Foundation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) – also spoke out against Norwood’s creation.
“Any talent agency that engages in this should be boycotted by all guilds,” said actress, director and filmmaker Natasha Lyonne.
SAG-AFTRA has a page on their website dedicated to their views on AI, highlighting their commitment to “securing members right to their name, voice and likeness,” and that fair work conditions are applied in-person and making economic deterrents to avoid the use of AI performers.
Mara Wilson and Kiersey Clemons also voiced their concerns and said that whichever agent signed Norwood would get 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 on Instagram. “Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.”
SAG-AFTRA’s actor’s strike in 2023 was used to secure better deals for them, and also put in place protections about AI. The union came out and reminded agencies and studios that using Norwood in projects could trigger issues regarding the contractual protections the union secured after the strike.
“I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool – a new paintbrush,” Van der Velden wrote. “Just as animation, puppetry or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories.”
As AI continues to evolve and find ways into the filmmaking world, the entertainment industry is going to be faced with an important choice of how far AI can go in shaping the art of storytelling.
