Tilly Norwood creator defends AI actress amid Hollywood backlash

Tilly Norwood creator Eline Van der Velden defends AI actress, saying she’s art, not a threat to actors

Eline Van der Velden, the Dutch actress, comedian, and physicist behind Particle6 Group, has defended her creation, Tilly Norwood, amid mounting criticism from Hollywood. Tilly, billed as the world’s first AI actress, drew sharp backlash from figures including Emily Blunt and Natasha Lyonne, who argued that the digital star devalues human artistry.

Despite the criticism, Van der Velden emphasises that Tilly is not intended to replace human actors but to serve as a creative extension of herself. Described as an ‘English rose’ with a polished social media presence and 90,000 followers, Tilly has been developed with a team of 15 people and is already set to star in AI-generated projects within what Van der Velden calls the ‘Tillyverse.’

Tilly first debuted in the UK with positive reception, but when she was introduced at the Zurich Summit and announced she would be signing with an agency, US responses were far more hostile. Van der Velden attributes this to the size of the US entertainment industry and the perception among actors that AI could threaten their livelihoods. She also revealed she received death threats following the rollout.

The Particle6 founder explained that the AI actress arose from her curiosity about AI influencers she saw on social media. Tilly, she said, was a creative experiment, never intended to harm anyone, and instead channels Van der Velden’s own artistic energy into a digital form. She stressed that Tilly will not appear alongside live actors but will exist solely in AI-generated content.

Van der Velden believes AI actors represent the next step in entertainment, predicting a “creative renaissance” that will ultimately expand opportunities rather than take jobs. She also highlighted the misconception that Tilly’s creation was effortless, pointing out the complex work required to develop the character’s appearance, voice, and personality.

Several directors have reportedly expressed interest in working with Tilly but remain anonymous due to potential backlash. Looking ahead, Van der Velden anticipates that AI characters will become as commonplace in film production as electricity or Wi-Fi, while maintaining human oversight to ensure authenticity.

She concludes that the project has sparked necessary conversations about the future of the industry, encouraging studios, actors, and creatives to embrace AI responsibly. “Hopefully it sparks a lot of people futureproofing themselves because that is the goal,” she said.