Jalyn Thomas, Contributing Writer
Tilly Norwood, an up-and-coming actress, is ready to grace our screens and worm her way into our hearts. There is just one issue, though — she is not a person.
Norwood is not human — instead, she is an entirely AI-generated actress. Swedish actress and producer Eline Van der Velden and AI production studio Particle6 created Norwood, the former claiming in an Instagram post that this actress is a form of artistic expression.
Van der Velden’s actions have prompted many to ask a big question: Why? Why would someone in the arts industry, someone who intimately knows the competitiveness of the field, create something like an AI actress?
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has expressed its displeasure with having to compete with this “actress” in their statement, where they claim that Norwood is trained by “countless professional performers.” They believe that “creativity is, and should remain, human-centered.”
While you may recognize Norwood’s acting skills from some of the most prominent performers around the world, you may also recognize her face.
Some have speculated musician Stella Hennen had her likeness used to model Norwood — AI creates faces from the data it is trained on. In a TikTok post, Hennen said she is freaked out by Norwood, initially thinking Norwood was being used to prank her.
While the production studio denies any claims that Norwood is being trained using others’ faces, many have argued otherwise.
Beyond just what she might do, Norwood’s creation has some dark implications. She has no bodily autonomy, cannot say no and is created to do whatever her creator wants. It has also been noted that Norwood looks distinctly young.
People have been using AI to target women with the use of deepfakes, a technique in technology that makes it appear as though someone is saying or doing something they haven’t done. Taylor Swift, one of the more notable victims, has long dealt with AI pornography using her face.
Minors are not protected from this crime, either — Xochitl Gomez, a Marvel actress, was just 17 years old when deepfake pornography of herself was created and uploaded to X. In an episode of the podcast “The Squeeze,” she discussed how her mother was the first to notice it and worked hard to get it taken down, but with little success.
QTCinderella, a baking and video game Twitch streamer, also went through a similar experience, with her face being used to create deepfake pornography. QT said online after the incident “this is what sexual trauma looks like.”
Tilly Norwood unfortunately has the uncanny look and feel of a deepfake.
It is hard to deny AI is being used as another tool for propelling misogynistic behavior. Some have said deepfake pornography is akin to sexual assault because it takes away a woman’s right to say no.
AI is giving anyone on the internet the ability to sexually abuse in new ways “very rapidly,” Laura Bates, writer of “New Age of Sexism,” stated in a WIRED article.
AI is new, innovative and breaking barriers — including those created to protect women. AI has already been used to oppress women in new and unimaginable ways continuously, and Norwood only shows this will continue.
Generative AI is not just devaluing craft. It can take advantage of real-life behavior and people who cannot consent to being trained on. The AI that forms Tilly Norwood may seem like a benign expression of “art,” but it is more than that — it is a threat to the safety and sanctity of women all over the world.