Full Breakdown
AI-Generated “Actress” Tilly Norwood Embarks on Controversial Media Tour
By Drooid · · How we work
Launch of a Virtual Talent Campaign
Tilly Norwood, an artificial-intelligence-generated “actress” created by the Xicoia AI talent studio, has begun a press junket that includes interviews on CNN, NBC’s “Today,” CBS News, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and the United Kingdom’s ITV. The avatar can describe a reporter’s outfit and answer questions, but producers note that basic improvisation required hours of prompting.
Creation and Stated Purpose
The digital persona was developed by Eline Van der Velden, whose company Particle 6 Production says the technology is meant to serve as a “creative tool,” not a replacement for human performers. Van der Velden has also called for “really good” regulation and guardrails to prevent misuse of AI-generated likenesses.
Network Appearances and Public Reaction
On CNN, the avatar responded to concerns about AI-driven human extinction by emphasizing its role as a tool rather than a threat. The tour has drawn criticism from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and media watchdogs, who view the high-profile platforming of a non-human “actor” as problematic.
Calls for Regulation
Van der Velden’s appeal for stricter oversight aligns with broader industry worries that AI could be misused without clear legal frameworks. The sentiment reflects a growing demand for government action to establish “dramatic and strict regulations” on AI-generated media figures.
Criticism and Opposition
Industry commentators have condemned the media tour as a misstep. NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck described the interviews as “defying logic” and a “massive disconnect” between AI hype and responsible reporting. Podcaster John Ziegler called the practice “insanity” that must be “nipped in the bud,” warning against legitimizing AI avatars as news guests. Mediaite’s Brad Slager likened the stunt to the controversial use of an AI-generated likeness of a deceased student for activism, calling it “deeply disturbing.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “It illustrated a massive disconnect between marvel over this AI ‘actress’ and the rest of the reporting on NBC and other broadcast networks falling in line with AI executives asserting humanity is at stake unless the government steps in immediately with dramatic and strict regulations,” — Curtis Houck, newsbusters managing editor
- “This insanity has GOT to be nipped in the bud! We can NOT have multiple ‘legitimate news organizations’ doing ‘interviews’ with AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood as if she is on a media tour, and not even as some sort of technological experiment,” — Digital. Podcaster John Ziegler
- “It echoes the deeply disturbing display seen when Jim Acosta ‘interviewed’ the dead Parkland High School student, Joaquin Oliver. His parents fabricated an AI version of their deceased son for activist purposes,” — Mediaite’s Brad Slager