October 27, 2025 by Sophia Karrel (‘29)
Imagine there was an actor or actress that didn’t need to give consent, never got tired, and never aged. This seemingly impossible spectacle has become a reality with the debut of AI actress Tilly Norwood.
Tilly Norwood is described as an actress that is completely made of artificial intelligence. Unlike human actresses, Tilly Norwood doesn’t require consent. This means her creators can have her do whatever they want. Additionally, because Norwood doesn’t require the same production team, hours, or pay, she could significantly reduce costs of filmmaking. So, if AI actors begin to advance in the industry there could be a significant loss in jobs. Not only for the actors and actresses being replaced but for others working on set and behind the screen, such as hair and make-up crew, costume designers and more.
Tilly Norwood has already starred in her first skit titled “AI Commissioner”. The skit was released by the London-based company Particle6. The founder of this company being Van der Velden, who has an optimistic and seemingly less popular view. Velden has used a variety of ways to describe Norwood including a “piece of art”. Velden has stated that she believes Norwood is a tool that will be able to create new opportunities, and at the same time won’t be able to take away from real actors.
Contrary to Velden’s views, most people are upset with the creation of Tilly Norwood. Actors such as Emily Blunt and Ryan Reynolds have addressed the Tilly Norwood controversy and raised concerns about authenticity. In an interview with Variety Emily Blunt described Norwood as “terrifying” and asked agencies to “please stop taking away our human connection”. Ryan Reynolds took a more comical approach featuring a real woman named Tilly Norwood in one of his recent Mint Mobile ads.
Many students at Saratoga Springs High School agree with these A-list celebrities and their fears. Emily Wilding stated, “I think that AI actors are a very smart innovation for technological purposes, but I understand how it could affect actresses’ jobs. AI actors also won’t be as authentic, and you won’t get the real feeling of human emotion, so it won’t be as fun to watch. So overall I believe that this could have more negative effects than positive”.
“I think that the AI actress is really degrading towards women by the fact that they make it seem like current actresses aren’t good enough. They are creating an actress that never gets tired as if getting tired isn’t normal,” said SSHS freshman Sydney Otte. Otte also spoke to the topic of this AI figure not requiring consent for productions, as she said “I think that is really disgusting”.
It is uncertain the impact that AI actresses like Tilly Norwood will have on Hollywood and the film industry. However, it’s clear that as of now, actors and Saratoga Springs High School students alike do not support this new creation.