Artificial intelligence has directed a movie. Hollywood has been buzzing in recent days after the reveal of Tilly Norwood, whose creator has said is the first AI-generated actress that may sign with a talent agency. Many actors, including Emily Blunt, have reacted in opposition to this “terrifying” AI proposition, but it appears the director’s seat isn’t safe either.
Italian producer Andrea Iervolino, who has worked on Hollywood movies like Ferrari and To The Bone, has announced what he says is the first AI-directed movie, The Sweet Idleness. The movie depicts a future society where just 1% of humanity still works, as machines have taken most jobs, allowing the rest of the population to live leisurely.
The AI program used to direct the movie is called FellinAI, presumably a reference to the legendary Italian director Federico Fellini. While the technology was designed to “celebrate the poetic and dreamlike language of great European cinema,” Iervolino said he was the “human-in-the-loop,” serving as a supervisor and producer to monitor the technology. The movie’s cast, meanwhile, is produced by Iervolin’s company Actor+, which works with real people who lend their likeness and personality to create digital characters.
In a statement, Iervolino said that FellinAI “is not intended to replace traditional cinema. Rather, it is an alternative method of creation.”
A teaser trailer for the movie says The Sweet Idleness will premiere in February 2026. You can watch it right here:
Hollywood Reacts To Recent AI News
As of writing, we could not find a notable director that has commented on The Sweet Idleness and FellinAI. However, in January 2025, The Director’s Guild of America (DGA) National Executive Director Russ Hollander said, “Our members want to make sure AI is not used to cut jobs or to save money, but that it is used as a creative tool.” The DGA’s agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) from 2023 says that “generative AI cannot replace the duties performed by members.” That agreement is set to expire in 2026, meaning new DGA President Christopher Nolan will likely be involved in the next negotiations.
Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA, which represents actors, condemned the Tilly Norwood news earlier this week. Though Justine Bateman, who served as a SAG AI Advisor during their 2023 negotiations with AMPTP, recently highlighted the weaknesses of SAG-AFTRA’s AI protections in a post on X/Twitter:
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Bateman said that “most of my warnings were not heeded,” saying that all that is needed for studios to use AI-generated actors is to “notify SAG.”
Our Take On AI And Hollywood
Hollywood is just one of many industries where AI technology is being pushed to see what it can do, with these recent announcements among some of the most high-profile examples.
Tilly Norwood and FellinAI, along with any other AI technology that comes up in the near future, will likely be at the forefront of the next round of negotiations between DGA, SAG-AFTRA, the Wrtier’s Guild of America, and AMPTP.
