SAG-AFTRA Condemns Tilly Norwood In Official Statement Over AI Actress Controversy: “Creativity Should Remain Human-Centered”

Labor union SAG-AFTRA, representing approximately 160,000 performers and media professionals, has released a condemning statement responding to the recent news of some Hollywood agencies looking to sign AI actor Tilly Norwood. Particle 6 CEO Eline Van der Velden recently presented Norwood at the Zurich Summit and said that multiple Hollywood agencies are interested in signing the AI-generated star.

Particle 6 is an AI-focused production company that is also behind the newly launched AI talent studio Xicoia. Since Norwood’s introduction, there has been widespread backlash to the concept. Now, SAG-AFTRA’s statement emphasizes the danger AI performers pose to human actors and artists, potentially putting them out of work and moving art away from human creation.

The union makes it clear that they do not consider Norwood to be a true actor. Aside from serious concerns about “devaluing human artistry,” threatening livelihoods, and the people who may be the basis for Norwood’s likeness and performances being uncompensated, SAG-AFTRA maintains that “audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience.”

Read the full statement below:

SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics.

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. 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. It doesnt solve any “problem” — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.

Additionally, signatory producers should be aware that they may not use synthetic performers without complying with our contractual obligations, which generally require notice and bargaining whenever a synthetic performer is going to be used.

Prior to SAG-AFTRA’s statement, Van der Velden, as Norwood’s creator, responded to the backlash, stating that she “[sees] AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool, a new paintbrush.” The actor, comedian, and technologist also said that “she [Norwood] is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art.“

What This Means For Tilly Norwood’s Introduction To Hollywood

One of the key issues of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023 was AI potentially coming to overshadow human creators in the entertainment industry, especially writers. Tilly Norwood is more threatening to performers, as she would presumably be a subsтιтute for an actor, but it makes sense that SAG-AFTRA would make a formal statement against such an advancement.

Many other high-profile industry professionals have made similar comments, including Oscar nominee Emily Blunt calling Norwood “terrifying.” Overall, it looks as though most of the entertainment industry is committed to fully opposing Norwood being treated as a valid star to be contracted by any talent agencies or productions, which could bring a halt to Particle 6’s plans.

Our Take On SAG-AFTRA’s Statement On Tilly Norwood

Van der Velden and the rest of Particle 6 honestly might have had a better plan in place when they must have known that there would be a huge backlash to this news. The CEO’s comment that AI can be used as an artistic tool has merit, as it has proven to be valuable when making some small adjustments in new movies, upon a foundation of human performance and creation.

But presenting Tilly Norwood as an “actor” implies that she is, in fact, a replacement for a human actor. When Hollywood is grappling with the implications of people being forced out of jobs, performers and their colleagues are justified in being defensive of this new development. SAG-AFTRA making a statement is a formalized declaration on behalf of many professionals, setting the stage for a bigger battle.