Is Tilly Norwood really an actor?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt challenges the idea of AI performers as Hollywood wrestles with technology and creativity

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has dismissed the idea that AI-generated performer Tilly Norwood should be considered an actor, arguing that artificial intelligence can produce convincing outputs but cannot replace the human creativity behind a performance.

The actor, who also serves as a UN Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance, addressed the debate in a video posted on Instagram, describing Norwood as a "piece of software that's being branded as an actress".

Gordon-Levitt said AI was not a person but an algorithm capable of recombining material created by humans, including films, songs, writing and other content available online. For him, that distinction makes Norwood fundamentally different from a human performer.

He compared the AI creation with an animated character such as Donald Duck, noting that audiences do not credit the fictional character itself with a performance. Instead, recognition goes to the writers, animators, artists and voice actors involved in creating it.

Norwood's creator, Eline Van der Velden, has previously described the creation as "a work of art" rather than an artist. Her earlier suggestion that she wanted Tilly to become the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman, however, drew criticism from actors including Melissa Barrera and Mara Wilson.

The debate intensified after Norwood appeared for an "audition" on CNN. According to reports, the team behind the AI character spent hours working to produce a single scene, underscoring the technology's current limitations.

Norwood has yet to appear in a released film but is attached to the upcoming comedy-drama 'Misaligned', described as a hybrid production bringing conventional filmmakers together with AI specialists.

The disagreement reflects a wider Hollywood argument over AI, with performers and writers concerned about its impact on jobs, pay and creative ownership.

Yet the industry is far from unanimous in rejecting the technology. Ben Affleck, discussing his upcoming Netflix film 'Animals', said AI was used "for lots of things" during production, describing it as another technological development in filmmaking.