Hollywood’s powerful actors union SAG-AFTRA has responded to controversial news over the weekend that talent agents are looking to sign AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood for representation.
“SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics,” the guild said in a statement.
“To be clear, Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers – without permission or compensation. It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience,” it continued.
“It doesn’t solve any ‘problem’ — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry. Additionally, signatory producers should be aware that they may not use synthetic performers without complying with our contractual obligations, which require notice and bargaining whenever a synthetic performer is going to be used.”
Actor, comedian and technologist Eline Van der Velden revealed in a panel at the industry-focused Zurich Summit on Saturday that she was in talks with a number of talent agents interested in signing her AI-generated creation, actress Tilly Norwood.
The news sparked uproar and backlash from actors, with the likes of Melissa Barrera and Kiersey Clemons leading the charge, and Whoopi Goldberg and Emily Blunt also then wading in to voice their disapproval over the potential development.
SAG-AFTRA previously secured protections for actors’ likenesses and performances against AI, in the wake of the 2023 actors strike, sparked by a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
The latest statement from the body, representing some 160,000 actors and other entertainment and media professionals – will be seen as a shot across the bow for studios and other media and entertainment companies quietly incorporating AI into their production pipeline.
This article was published by Melanie Goodfellow on 2025-09-30 08:24:00
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