The creator of the AI actor Tilly Norwood has revealed she received death threats following a global backlash against the project. Eline van der Velden said she developed the 'digital twin' to provoke discussion about AI's impact on the entertainment industry, but the vitriol was worse than expected.
Van der Velden, founder of production company Particle6 and its AI arm Xicoia, debuted Norwood in a short comedy sketch last autumn. The AI actor has its own social media accounts with 141,000 Instagram followers. Prominent actors including Melissa Barrera, Mara Wilson, and Ralph Ineson condemned the idea, alongside unions Sag-Aftra and Equity.
In an interview with the Guardian, Van der Velden said she understood the reaction but was shocked by the death threats. 'I made her to represent the fear – and to represent this change in AI as an art piece,' she said. She argued the technology could benefit actors who wish to avoid fame, as avatars like Norwood can be controlled via motion capture.
Van der Velden has now featured Norwood in a new music video with lyrics written by an AI chatbot. She controls the avatar herself, describing it as 'very freeing as an actor'. Despite offers for Norwood to appear in real productions, she has declined, stating the purpose was not to replace human actors.
The AI actor was created using publicly available tools, making it impossible to determine what data contributed to its training. Van der Velden hopes the project opens creative doors for positive use of AI technology.
