Would you believe me if I told you Hollywood’s next rising star doesn’t exist? Its name is Tilly Norwood, and Norwood isn’t a person at all. It is a computer-generated actor created by a company called Xicoia.
Norwood looks human, talks human and even “acts” human.
According to CBS News, the company behind it claims this new technology cuts film production costs by up to 90%. Sounds impressive, right? But if you ask me, cheaper does not mean better. Movies are supposed to be emotional, not cost-efficient.
Actors are up in arms over Norwood’s creation especially since it is “a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation,” the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) said.
“Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary, Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection,” star actress Emily Blunt said.
I agree that artificial intelligence (AI) could ruin the emotional connection between performers and audiences. Acting should be authentic, raw and unpredictable. No matter how advanced it becomes, you cannot teach a machine to understand heartbreak or love. And when studios start seeing AI as an easier, cheaper alternative, they are not innovating. They are avoiding what makes storytelling human in the first place.
Lawmakers are starting to notice. The NO FAKES Act, currently being discussed in Congress, would make it illegal to use someone’s likeness or voice without consent. It is a good start, but technology always seems to move faster than the rules.
AI, however, can still be helpful; it can design backgrounds and edit visuals. But it should not take over the most human part of filmmaking: performance. We go to the movies to feel something real, not watch a robot pretend to feel for us.
Hollywood may believe AI is the future, but if it replaces real actors, we aren’t pushing the arts forward. We are draining it of emotion. And no matter how realistic an algorithm gets, it will never have what makes acting powerful: the heart behind it.
