She’s got a glowing Instagram feed, a string of faux film credits, and a growing global buzz – but Tilly Norwood isn’t your average breakout star.
In fact, she’s not human at all.
Created by producer Eline Van der Velden, CEO of European AI production studio Particle6, Tilly is an artificially intelligent actress designed to dazzle.
Since her Instagram debut earlier this year, Tilly has captured the attention of fans and critics alike – and now, she’s taking centre stage in a major industry conversation.
Van der Velden introduced the world to Tilly at the Zurich Summit, an international creative industries conference held alongside the Zurich Film Festival.
There, she addressed a panel on artificial intelligence in entertainment, noting how quickly the tides have shifted.
“We were in a lot of boardrooms around February time, and everyone was like, ‘No, this is nothing. It’s not going to happen’. Then, by May, people were like, ‘We need to do something with you guys’,” Van der Velden said, as reported by Deadline.
Since launching, Tilly has gained thousands of followers and will soon be represented by an official agency.
“When we first launched Tilly, people were like, ‘What’s that?’, and now we’re going to be announcing which agency is going to be representing her in the next few months,” Van der Velden told the forum.
It’s all part of a bold new vision. Van der Velden, who also just launched AI talent studio Xicoia, believes synthetic performers are set to define the era.
“We want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman, that’s the aim of what we’re doing,” she said in July to Broadcast International.
Tilly’s social media feed paints a carefully curated picture, she’s snapped sipping coffee, exploring boutiques, and lounging at her desk – all with the look of a rising star.
Her posts include a highlight reel of AI-generated film scenes with the cheeky caption, “In 20 seconds I fought monsters, fled explosions, sold you a car, and nearly won an Oscar. All in a day’s work … literally!”
She even shared a short comedy sketch – AI Commissioner – touted as her “first ever role.”
But the project’s rapid ascent hasn’t come without criticism.
AI-generated performers were at the heart of last year’s Hollywood actors strike, and Tilly’s debut has stirred fresh concerns about the future of human creativity.
Shown a photo of Tilly by Variety, actress Emily Blunt reacted candidly, “No, are you serious? That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.”
Others in the industry echoed those fears.
Actor Brendan Bradley responded directly to Tilly’s Instagram with, “The content you have generated primarily seek to grift, not give. Exploit not entertain.”
Another critic, Kylie Karson, wrote: “What you’re doing isn’t clever or futuristic, it’s harmful. You’re putting people’s careers at risk and treating artists as disposable. Human beings bring stories to life in a way AI never can.”
Tilly also drew comparisons to Scottish actress Briony Monroe, who claimed her likeness may have been used in the AI’s visual creation.
“It has been brought to my attention that an image of my face may have been used for this picture of ‘Tilly Norwood’ (an AI created ‘actress’),” Monroe stated.
Van der Velden has since responded, defending Tilly as a new creative tool – not a threat.
“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,” she said in a statement posted to social media.
“She represents experimentation, not substitution.”
Despite its fully AI label, the AI Commissioner sketch featured significant human input.
Van der Velden told Broadcast International that the script was written using ChatGPT based on her briefing and was adapted with help from others. Human direction was also used to guide the tone and pacing of the AI actors’ performances.
Still, Tilly is embracing her moment in the spotlight – even if she’s not quite real.
Sharing her debut on Facebook, she wrote, “I may be AI generated, but I’m feeling very real emotions right now. I am so excited for what’s coming next!”
Meanwhile, actress Whoopi Goldberg added a note of levity – and challenge – on The View.
“You are suddenly up against something that’s been generated with 5000 other actors,” she said.
“But you know what? Bring it on. Because you can always tell them from us. We move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently. And maybe in two or three years it’ll be seamless, but it’s not seamless yet.”
Images: Instagram
