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After AI-generated “actresses” have attracted strong opposition from human actors, the character's maker says it's not about replacing people. But many people in Hollywood don't buy it.
It's just the latest film industry dispute about the technology that many creatives fear, and can eventually replace them.
“Tilly Norwood” looks like a young woman with wavy brown hair and sheer skin, and since February she has posted any other Gen Z influencer on Instagram. She is in acting career – recently published articles about “screen testing” hoping to take part in the show. But Tilly Norwood is not a real person, generated by AI created by Eline van der Velden, the founder of AI startup particle, which the company says creates “digital content” for movies and TV.
In a recent post, Eddie brags: “In 20 seconds, I was with the monster, the explosion of the runaway, sold a car and almost won an Oscar. All the jobs…literally! Finding your own actress can do it all,” along with #Aiactress Hashtag #Aiactress. ”
But the project sparked a lot of criticism after the Hollywood news media deadline reported Saturday that talent agents wanted to sign Tilly's actress while film studios were quietly embracing AI-generated content. The Tilly Instagram account made hundreds of angry comments, including some big names in Hollywood.
“Wow…no, thank you,” Game of Thrones actor Sophie Turner said in a comment.
“It's very meaningless and frankly disturbing,” wrote actor Cameron Cowperthwaite, who appeared in Shameless and American Horror Story. “I hope this all has objected in a human and good way.”
Ralph Ineson’s role in “Nosferatu” and other films responded to the news of the project with a concise X post: “f **k off.”
In a statement posted to her and Tilly’s Instagram account, Van der Velden responded to the rebound, saying Tilly wasn’t about replacing human actors.
“For those who created our AI character Tilly Norwood, she is not a replacement for humanity, but a creative work, which is an art,” Van der Velden said. “Just like animation, puppet or CGI opens up new possibilities without getting out of live performance, AI also offers another way to imagine and build stories.”
She added: “AI roles should be judged based on their own strengths as part of their own type, rather than being directly compared to human actors.”
But it may be cold comforting for actors who think artificially creatives like Tilly. Hollywood actors, writers, directors and others in other industries have issued alerts over the years that their work has been used to train AI models without consent or compensation without consent or compensation, which can then be used to create movies, TV shows or advertisements without paying for human creativity.
“You didn’t do that. Hundreds of real workers, real photographers, camera operators, hecks, even farmers did it.
Van der Velden did not immediately respond to CNN's request for further comment.
Anxiety around AI is at the heart of writers and actors’ strikes that ruined Hollywood in 2023. Both Hollywood unions have reached a deal that includes protection around how major studios and streaming services use AI.
However, these protocols cannot prevent others from using AI tools (by introducing most of the internet’s training) to produce work reminiscent of human actors or existing movie scenes.
Top media companies have begun following AI companies to generate content they say is infringing on intellectual property rights. Disney and Universal sued Midjourney in June, accusing photo and video generators of illegally training their materials and then spit out unauthorized entertainment, including beloved characters like Bart Simpson and Wall-E. Warner Bros. filed a similar lawsuit against Midjourney earlier this month. (CNN shares the parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.)
Unless copyright holders explicitly opt out, Openai began reminding talent agencies and studios on Monday that its updated Sora AI video generator (released on Tuesday) could include copyrighted material, unless copyright holders explicitly opt out.
“We are working with rights holders to understand their preferences for their content, including Sora,” Varun Shetty, head of OpenAI media partnerships, said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday. According to Openai, Sora will proactively block AI-generated videos in the style of living artists and let public figures opt out of technology to recreate their similarities.