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'Not too beautiful': Maker of first AI actor defends creation in BBC interview, reveals process
With long brown hair and a good-looking face that does not resemble any human actor, Tilly Norwood is designed to be 'not too beautiful, but pretty'
Is artificial intelligence (AI) taking over human beings' jobs? Maybe not in all fields, but AI actress Tilly Norwood has certainly caused a stir with her arrival onto the acting scene.
Earlier this year, the "actress" was introduced at a film industry conference in Zurich. With long brown hair and a good-looking face that does not resemble any human actor, she is designed to be "not too beautiful, but pretty." This is according to Dutch actor-producer Eline van der Velden, the creator of Tilly Norwood, who spoke to BBC about her creation.
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At the time of the reveal in September, the creator said that studio executives were interested in signing the AI actress on their projects. The debut of the "actress" and the claims of studio interest both sparked massive backlash from the SAG-AFTRA, who condemned the replacement of human actors with "synthetics." "Creativity is, and should remain, human-centered," the union said in a statement, as reported by Reuters. "The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics."
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During the BBC interview, in response to a question about this disapproval from the union and Hollywood A-listers, van der Velden said that she does not intend AI stars to take roles from humans, but rather to star in a new type of media. She said that there would be three types of visual media in the future: movies and TV shows in which humans play the roles, animation and AI content.
She also argued that AI actors will help curb the promotion of harmful body types, saying the AI can be programmed to have imperfections, and that viewers will recognise that the "actor" is not a real person and therefore will not be harmed by any unrealistic body standards. Tilly Norwood was created after over 2,000 iterations until the creator was satisfied with her look, according to van der Velden.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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