ast year, you might have seen clips making the rounds of up-and-coming actor Tilly Norwood. She seemed to appear out of nowhere, quickly becoming an online sensation. You are forgiven, however, if you’ve never seen her work before because, well... Tilly Norwood doesn’t exist. Norwood is the creation of Particle6, an AI production studio that combines AI workflows with traditional filmmaking to produce video, film and TV content. The AI actor was ultimately met with widespread backlash. The SAG-AFTRA union released a statement condemning Norwood’s creators, and actors including Natasha Lyonne, Emily Blunt and Mara Wilson expressed their concerns. Norwood has since attracted interest from talent agencies, and she has even released a music video. Particle6 was founded by CEO Eline van der Velden. She began her career as a performer, starring in the 2014 film Flying Home alongside Jamie Dornan and BBC Three comedy series Miss Holland . The company, originally called Particle Productions, took off alongside Van der Velden’s acting career. “Four years ago, I decided to convert the company into an AI production studio because I saw where things were going,” she begins. Artificial actors Van der Velden argues Particle6 has been at the forefront of learning new technologies as they develop. “We’re ready for this transition,” she says. “I believe we’re going through a new industrial revolution. The best way to survive in that is to lean forward and to upskill and retool as many people as possible.” Van der Velden admits that she has the same concerns and fears about AI as everyone else, but she suggests that keeping one foot inside the tech industry allows her to stay ahead of the game. “People hadn’t seen any AI influencers before, and so Tilly was a way for me to showcase to everybody that this is coming,” she says. “I wanted that change to come from within the creative industries, as opposed to being imposed by the tech industry, so I’m really happy for Tilly to have created that backlash in order to move the conversation forward.” While Van der Velden argues that preparation for AI is necessary, many actors remain unconvinced by the
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