NEW YORK: A digital character named Tilly Norwood, promoted as Hollywood’s first “artificial intelligence actor,” has ignited a heated debate in the US film industry, with unions and performers denouncing the move as a threat to human creativity.

Tilly Norwood was created by Xicoia, a Dutch company that calls itself the world’s first artificial intelligence talent studio. The project is spearheaded by producer and comedian Eline Van der Velden, who showcased the AI character last weekend at the Zurich Summit, part of the Zurich Film Festival. She said talent agencies were already expressing interest and hinted at a forthcoming representation deal.

But not in a good way. Guilds, actors and filmmakers have met the Xicoia product with an immediate wave of backlash, protesting that artificial intelligence should not have a starring role in the acting profession. In a statement Tuesday, the Screen Actors Guild said that “creativity is, and should remain, human-centered.”

“To be clear, ‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation,” the guild said. “It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience.”

Van der Velden, founder of the AI production studio Particle6, last weekend promoted Tilly Norwood at the Zurich Summit, the industry sidebar of the Zurich Film Festival. She said then that talent agencies were circling Norwood and that she expected to soon announce a signing.

Many in Hollywood, though, hope that never happens.

“Hope all actors repped by the agent that does this, drop their a...,” wrote actor Melissa Barrera (“In the Heights,” “Scream”) on social media. “How gross, read the room.”

“Any talent agency that engages in this should be boycotted by all guilds,” wrote Natasha Lyonne on Instagram. The “Russian Doll” star is directing a feature titled “Uncanny Valley” that pledges to use “ethical” artificial intelligence in combination with traditional filmmaking techniques. “Deeply misguided & totally disturbed,” she added. “Not the way. Not the vibe. Not the use.”

Artificial intelligence is often used as a tool in film production, though its implementation is hotly debated. It was a major bargaining point in the lengthy strike by SAG-AFTRA that concluded in late 2023 with some safeguards put in place to protect the use of actors' likenesses and performances by AI. A yearlong strike by video game actors hinged on AI protections. In July, video game actors approved a new contract that mandates employers obtain written permission to create a digital replica.

But there have been numerous controversies over the use of AI in acting. The Oscar-winning 2024 film “The Brutalist” used artificial intelligence for Hungarian dialogue spoken by Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’ characters, the revelation of which prompted debate in the industry.

Van der Velden responded to the stir around Tilly Norwood on Instagram.

“To those who have expressed anger over the creation of my AI character, Tilly Norwood, she is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work — a piece of art,” Van der Velden said on Sunday. “Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.”

Van der Velden didn't respond to interview requests Tuesday. In her post, she argued that AI characters should be judged as their own genre.

“Creating Tilly has been, for me, an act of imagination and craftsmanship, not unlike drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance,” she added. “It takes time, skill and iteration to bring such a character to life.”

That statement was also shared on Tilly Norwood's own Instagram account. Posts include photos of the creation drinking coffee, shopping for clothes and preparing for various projects. As of Tuesday, the account had more than 33,000 followers.

“Had such a blast filming some screen tests recently,” one post reads. “Every day feels like a step closer to the big screen.”

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'AI actor' Tilly Norwood stirs outrage in Hollywood