Her name is Tilly Norwood and she is not just another beautiful rising star but the first Hollywood actress made entirely through artificial intelligence. Naturally, her appearance caused both anger and terror among her "colleagues" in Hollywood as Tilly will never ask for high fees or fight for her working rights... at least not yet, with her current settings. And the question comes back more critical than ever. Do we want to live in a world where digital technology will replace humans? And what will this world be like?
Eva Metis Koutoumanou
Tilly, who is described as a "digital actress", was created by the company Particle6, of the Dutch actress Eline Van der Velden.
Despite assurances that it will not be exploited in such a way as to threaten real actors, the entertainment industry is worried, while many, now, worldwide, are wondering if we are at the beginning of a new era where artists and creators, writers, journalists are all in danger of being replaced by artificial intelligence, which is clearly cheaper. After all, who cares about quality in our time? Or is it not so?
So far, Tilly appears on Instagram as another influencer, talking about test shoots and uploading photos. The problem started with rumors about the desire of some studios in the US to give life to her and in the future to other AI actors with all that this entails for the industry. And it continued after a line by Van der Velden that she imagines her as a "new Scarlett Johansson" - and it is no coincidence that the simile was accidental as Scarlett Johansson was the first actress who had stood up against artificial intelligence and had won the legal battle at the time - but also some comments of her creators on her page:
"I may be an AI product, but right now I feel very real feelings. I'm very excited about what's to come!"
The reactions came immediately. The Hollywood Actors Union deplored Tilly's creation, while front-line stars such as Whoopi Goldberg, Emily Blunt and Natasha Lyon came forward and took a clear stand.
"Norwood "is not an actress, she is a character created by a computer program which in turn was trained based on the work of countless professional actors," the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists or SAG-AFTRA said in a statement.
Outrage from actors and directors
"It has no life experience from which to draw emotions and, from what we have seen, audiences are not interested in watching computer-generated content without having human experiences."
Commenting on Tilly's threat, actress and director Natasha Lyon, known for her starring roles in the series Poker Face, Orange Is the New Black, and Russian Doll, said anyone who works with Norwood should be boycotted.
"Any talent agency involved in this should be boycotted by all associations," he argued, adding that this "is deeply wrong and completely worrying."
Speaking on a Variety podcast, Emily Blunt admitted that this creation is scary.
"Oh my God, it looks like we've stepped on it. It's really something that scares me a lot. I hope the companies have a clear mind and don't deprive the viewers of human contact."
Whoopi Goldberg expressed her disapproval, however with more moderation, estimating that AI will never be able to bring to our screens creations that will threaten actors.
"People move differently. Our faces and our bodies move differently, and I don't know if that can be defeated by AI."
Although Norwood's Instagram has been active for months, its existence became known in Hollywood this week, after an article was published in Deadline magazine about a summit attended by its creators in Zurich over the weekend.
It is worth noting, however, that large companies such as Disney and Universal are also on the side of the actors, taking legal action against platforms for "training" their models on protected material.
We all know that in a short time "smart" machines with artificial intelligence - and I emphasize the word artificial, commonly not real - will replace people in many professions and it is still uncertain what the social consequences will be from the replacement of so many people by machines.
However, the replacement of actors, artists, journalists and all those who have as a "tool" of their work their spirit and their speech, by a machine with a clever programming will lead to a society dried out of any real emotion and any freedom of thought and speech, and this is terrifying! Don't you agree?
