Inside the creation of Tilly Norwood, the AI actress freaking out Hollywood

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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Wall Street Journal or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Hollywood is confronting a new frontier as producer Eline Van der Velden unveils Tilly Norwood, one of the first fully AI-generated actresses designed to star in films, interact with audiences, and perform without a human counterpart
• The digital performer has already drawn intense industry attention — along with concern from actors and creatives about how synthetic talent may reshape their profession

🔭 The context: Generative AI adoption has accelerated across entertainment, from voice replication to scriptwriting and digital doubles
• Recent SAG-AFTRA negotiations highlighted growing fears that studios may replace or digitally replicate performers without appropriate safeguards
• Tilly represents a shift from deepfakes to original AI personas engineered for recurring roles and scalable production

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The rise of AI performers could alter the environmental footprint of filmmaking
• Virtual actors can reduce travel, on-set logistics, set construction, and reshoots — potentially lowering emissions in a notoriously resource-intensive industry
• At the same time, training and running advanced AI models consumes substantial electricity, underscoring the need for clean-energy-powered digital infrastructure as studios scale virtual production

⏭️ What’s next: Studios are set to pilot AI actors in advertising, animation, and low-risk productions, while unions push for strong consent, compensation, and transparency rules
• Regulators may also examine disclosure standards and intellectual-property protections
• Tilly will likely become a test case determining how AI talent integrates into global entertainment ecosystem

💬 One quote: Van der Velden said she aimed to build “the first AI movie star—someone who never ages and is always available”

📈 One stat: More than 70% of U.S. film and TV workers say AI could significantly impact or threaten their jobs within five years

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