Well, we knew this was coming. Back in 2023, when actors/writers went on strike in Hollywood, one of the main issues of the Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG AFTRA) was the threat of AI.

At the time, the actors’ guild was concerned that studios might call in actors for a day’s work, scan them to use them in CGI, and then use their likeness for perpetuity without compensation. They were also concerned that studios might push forward with AI technology and replace background extras, even some minor speaking parts, with AI generated actors.

There were some then who called SAG AFTRA’s concerns alarmist and “not based in reality.”

Well, this is 2025 and we have our first AI generated actress. The bot’s name is Tilly Norwood and was made by PArticle6, a Dutch AI production studio owned by Dutch actress Eline Van Der Velden.

The AI actress is marketed as a girl next door, an aspiring young actress seeking to make it in the industry. Her Instagram account is filled with AI video posts, even complete sketches made using a variety of AI tools. Van Der Velden even said that some talent agencies showed interest in representing the bot.

Not so alarmist now, huh?

Of course, the launch of the AI actress sparked controversy. Real actors posted their disgust and disbelief, while SAG issued a statement calling the bot “a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers without permission or compensation.”

Van Der Velden responded via an Instagram message, saying Tilly Norwood “is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work, a piece of art. Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.”

In a separate interview, she stated: “We want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman, that’s the aim of what we’re doing.” You know. Two actresses who are famously not human beings and thus replaceable.

But replacing people and creativity? That’s not a bright future, that’s how dystopias start. But since we live in a capitalist society, and not paying actors is something the studios will be very interested in, why not have a couple of rules in place for the usage of AI? Rules like…

Zero copyright protection

Generative AI has been trained using the unlicensed likenesses and performances of hundreds of true artists and actors. No generative AI platform paid to acquire licensing for using specific styles and performances, nor do they pay the artists any fee. It was blatant theft. Unfortunately, we can’t do anything about it now.

What we can do is regulate the future. Thus, no work using AI can ever be copyrighted. Oh cool, look, it’s the new Marvel movie made with AI. Let me just copy the prompts, use that footage for my videos, and print out the exact likeness for my merch. I’m making money all thanks to the works of others! Thanks Disney!

Production studios make the bulk of their money through licensing fees and merchandise sales: let’s see how they like it if they can’t actually capitalise on their creations. But hey, that’s what you get for stealing.

AI warning label

Want to use AI actors, even as extras in the background? Let people know so they can make a choice. “This film was made partially by using AI.” I want that label. I want that label so I can have the right to choose for myself if I want to be entertained by a soulless, corporate creation that was concocted on a laptop, given prompts, and then spat out.

I want that label so I can mark the name of everyone involved, so I can never, ever watch anything they are involved with. I want that label so I can immediately cancel my subscription to the streaming platform that bore this abomination and unleashed it upon the world.

And when the whole industry eventually adopts the new status quo, then I can quietly and respectfully resign myself to watching old movies. The ones with people in them. The ones that awoke emotions in me and roused my heart.

Tom Hanks screaming at the loss of a volleyball. Robin Williams telling a group of students to be anti-conformist and to seize the day. Denzel Washington telling a group of thugs that King Kong ain’t got sh*t on him. Meryl Streep crying while choosing one of her children. Christoph Waltz slowly sipping his milk while a French farmer is scared for his life.

Let us hope that Tilly is just a marketing stunt. Let us hope that the entertainment industry holds firm to its people.