Generative Artificial Intelligence is no stranger to infiltrating creative work spaces. For years, large brands have been producing AI-generated content, such as Nike’s advertisement with Serena Williams. But what happens when AI-generated actors enter the film industry with an identity and begin to take up the space of human actors?
Young people have polarizing opinions on the usage of AI-generated work in artistic spaces. Some believe it to be innovative and useful for streamlining the artistic process. While others view generative AI as taking opportunities away from artists. These sentiments have already been seen in the film industry during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes for “a liveable wage and protections against the existential threat AI poses to their careers.” Now, in 2025, AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood has sparked similar conversations about taking opportunities away from human actors. But what about the impact on viewers? Films serve both as a form of entertainment but also connection, as viewers are often able to see aspects of themselves in the characters of TV shows and movies. It is through an actor’s performance that these characters come to life, sparking speculation on whether an AI-generated actress could capture the same feeling.
How Was Tilly norwood created?
Tilly Norwood is the creation of Particle6, an AI production studio based in the United Kingdom. The company describes itself as creating “broadcast-ready content that is sharper, richer, and more immersive–pushing the boundaries of what audiences expect.” Creator Eline van der Velden unveiled Tilly Norwood at the Zurich Film Festival in September 2025. She justifies Tilly Norwood’s place in Hollywood by highlighting the AI actress’ versatility and ability to work nonstop. She describes Tilly Norwood as the “next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman,” saying that a few talent agencies have already taken interest in signing her.
According to VICE, ten different AI programs were involved in creating and “fine-tuning” Tilly Norwood. Her first acting job was a comedy sketch called “AI Commissioner” with stiff, underwhelming dialogue. Actresses such as Melissa Barrera and Mara Wilson have already released statements on social media sharing their distaste for Norwood’s place in the film industry.
Connecting On-screen
The ability for an actor/actress to make a viewer feel is largely tied to their performance. Often, a good actor will make you forget that they’re even an actor in the first place. Backstage uplifts this point by saying a “good actor performs with naturalism and nuance.” While a great deal of practice and skill goes into nailing a role, there’s an underlying human ability that actors/actresses have to sympathize and empathize with the characters they embody that, when combined with practice, makes the character feel as real as the actor, for they’ve blurred into one on screen. Viewers, though often not trained to see what makes good acting, can tell when an actor has succeeded in portraying their character realistically because it elicits an emotional response, such as crying during Forrest Gump or laughing while watching Dumb and Dumber.
Also, viewers are often able to relate to one specific character, resulting in them feeling seen and having someone to look to who validates their lived experiences. For example, Fleabag is seen as a largely relatable character due to her attempts to ward off emotional connection with humour and sex. This is largely thanks to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s incredible performance and ability to really get in the character’s head due to her role in creating the show.
The issue with Tilly Norwood is that she doesn’t have human experiences to draw from. Some element of the human technically lives in Tilly Norwood, as SAG-AFTRA released a statement that Norwood is “trained on the work of countless professional performers–without permission or compensation.” Apart from the clear ethical issues raised by this statement, it continues to highlight the very point brought up in the comedy sketch “AI Commissioner”: Tilly Norwood just does whatever she’s told. She is merely used as an output. This is seen from the lifelessness of her eyes, uncanny expressions, and inauthentic emotions. To a viewer, Tilly Norwood is clearly not a real person, making it incredibly hard to feel any connection to the characters she plays because they’re just as unreal as she is. It’s that feeling where you can tell an actor is acting, but make it ten times worse. Even as the technology improves, it’s possible that this disconnection will continue to linger and only worsen as AI-generated actors begin to take away space from human actors.
Connecting Off-Screen
While a huge part of young people’s’ draw to movies has to do with their ability to connect to characters both similar and different from themselves, in the age of social media, actors’ roles in fans’ lives does not stop after the TV is turned off. Parasocialism describes the one-sided relationship fans form with celebrities or fictional characters, explaining why, for example, people care about what Jennifer Aniston puts in her oatmeal.
Young people are especially likely to partake in parasocial relationships due to their desire for connection and constant exposure to social media. However, it’s unclear how one could possibly recreate this dynamic with an AI-generated actress, for there’s no reason to get interested in Tilly Norwood’s real life because she simply doesn’t have one. The “AI Commissioner” comedy sketch suggests that Tilly Norwood could garner public interest through showing her crying on Graham Norton and saying it’ll be “clipped, subtitled, and monetized on TikTok by lunchtime.” However, it’s hard to imagine that excitement around Tilly Norwood would be as heightened as it is around big names in Hollywood because there’s no personal or physical element, such as asking your favourite actor for a picture outside of a coffee shop or hearing them open up about a struggle you’ve also been facing in your personal life.
Also, awareness has been brought to the “The Absurdity of Digital Companionship” ever since the increase in children using AI chatbots as therapists and stand-in friends. Some instances of these relationships with AI chatbots have even allegedly been the catalyst for teens taking their lives. As awareness for the potential negative mental health impacts of a close relationship with generative AI grows, it’s possible that Tilly Norwood will not be able to be seen as a “real actress” and cultivate the connection fans are seeking with those they dedicate their time to following. However, this does not mean that Particle6 isn’t trying, for Tilly Norwood already has her own Instagram account.
Importance of Representation in Film
In order for a wide array of viewers to see themselves in film characters, representation is important. Over the past few years, popular shows such as Ginny and Georgia, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and Never Have I Ever have featured young women of colour in leading roles, resulting in more young women being able to see themselves represented on screen and have characters they can relate to in experience. However, there is still more work to be done when it comes to representation in Hollywood. In their 2025 “Hollywood Diversity Report,” UCLA reported that 2.5 out of 10 lead actors in theatrical films are people of colour, which illustrates the barriers that likely still exist for many, especially for actors of colour just getting their foot in the door.
Keeping this in mind, it’s clear how Tilly Norwood’s existence can be an issue when it comes to representation in film. The “AI Commissioner” comedy sketch describes Tilly Norwood as having “girl next door vibes,” but, in reality, she’s a recreation of a conventionally attractive woman in line with Eurocentric beauty standards (which already occupies much of Hollywood), likely to appeal to the male gaze. With fair skin, straight, white teeth, and bouncy brown hair, Tilly Norwood is packed full of stereotypes of ideal beauty and would serve no benefit to young women who would potentially watch her films.
At a time when people are pushing for new faces in Hollywood and better representation, Tilly Norwood shows that the film industry may be going in the wrong direction. Even if Tilly Norwood didn’t have Eurocentric features, there is still no reason to choose an AI-generated actress to represent underrepresented groups–for she’d have no actual lived experiences within or ties to the culture she would be presented as being a part of–when there are so many real actors who have been trying to make a name for themselves and who viewers would actually be able to relate to.
The Future of film
Tilly Norwood’s potential presence in Hollywood just seems unnecessary. She is not occupying a space that couldn’t be filled by real actors, her abilities will never serve anyone except directors and producers who want someone easily moldable, and movie-watchers are unlikely to connect to an AI-generated actress as much as they could with a real one. And, if they do, parasocial relationships with generative AI have already been speculated to be a cause for concern. Therefore, if AI-generated actors continue to infiltrate Hollywood, it’s possible that the relationship viewers have with films will move closer in the direction of mindless consumption for entertainment instead of getting a thoughtful look into the human condition/experience.