AI-Generated Actress Sparks Outrage in Hollywood
The artificial intelligence (AI)–created actress Tilly Norwood has sparked outrage among actors in Hollywood, the United States, according to a report published today by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“They stole the faces of hundreds of young women to create this so-called ‘AI actress’. They’re not creators — they’re identity thieves,” wrote actress Mara Wilson, known for playing Matilda, on social media.
“Shame on these people,” Wilson added, referring to the AI actress developed by Xicoia Studios, a company that creates AI-generated talent designed for the entertainment industry.
Last week, Eline Van der Velden, founder of Xicoia, revealed that several talent agencies are already preparing to represent Tilly Norwood.
Melissa Barrera, star of Scream and Scream VI, said she hopes “every actor represented by the agent who’s doing this drops them immediately.”
Lukas Gage, from The White Lotus, jokingly accused Tilly Norwood of being “a nightmare to work with,” claiming that she “couldn’t hit her mark on set and was always late.”
In response, Van der Velden defended the project on Instagram, saying that Tilly Norwood “is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work.”
“Just as animation, puppetry, and special effects opened new possibilities without destroying live performance, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories,” she wrote, noting that she herself is also an actress.
According to Van der Velden, AI-generated performers should be compared only to other digital creations — not judged directly against human professionals.
AFP noted that the rise of Tilly Norwood has reignited fears of AI replacing human artists — one of the concerns that helped spark the major Hollywood strikes of 2023.
In recent months, the use of AI in creative industries has become increasingly visible — and controversial. In August, an AI-generated virtual model appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine.
Are We Witnessing the Gradual Replacement of Human Actors by AI Virtual Agents?
The implications are vast.
Hollywood could save millions of dollars in actor salaries — since AI performers don’t need paychecks.
Unlike real actors, AI actors don’t age, get sick, or lose their looks. Their faces remain eternally young and flawless — because they are digital.
The question now is not if AI will enter Hollywood, but how deeply it will reshape it.
Silvio Guerrinha / 2025
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