Tilly Norwood Creator Doubles Down on AI ‘Actors’ and Says It’s a ‘More Ethical Way to Perform,’ Urges Human Actors to ‘Future-Proof’ Themselves With AI

Eline van der Velden is the CEO and founder of AI company Particle6, which is behind AI “actor” Tilly Norwood. The creation became the center of a Hollywood hailstorm in late 2025 after Van der Velden suggested on a panel in Zurich that she was set to sign with an agency. The comments prompted an immediate backlash from across the industry and beyond as actors, unions and more waded into the AI debate to condemn Tilly Norwood and question what her existence meant for the profession. With concerns over AI in film and TV growing exponentially, Tilly Norwood quickly became the very recognizable, computer-generated face of the issue. Those behind Tilly have leaned into that role — on Jan. 22 when the Oscar nominations were announced, the official Tilly Norwood Instagram posted an image of Tilly at a podium holding an award (not an Oscar), with the caption, “Congratulations to all the Oscar nominees,…