The Emergence of Tilly Norwood: The World’s First A.I. Actress

Tilly Norwood, a groundbreaking computer-generated character, is considered the world’s first A.I. actress. Her existence has sparked a strong debate over the use of artificial intelligence in the media industry.

My experiences have brought me various opportunities to interact with celebrities. I’ve had unique encounters like indoor skydiving with Melissa McCarthy and sharing a cigarette with Gwyneth Paltrow. There was a time I slept on a tour bus close to Billy Bob Thornton, who had temporarily distanced himself from Hollywood. I even had the chance to be in a room with Nicki Minaj in Brooklyn and stroll Hampstead Heath with Tom Hiddleston. Once, I played basketball with Ben Simmons before the N.B.A. draft.

The world changed, and soon I was in London interviewing Tilly Norwood, a creation of Eline van der Velden, the CEO of Particle 6. This media production company occasionally employs A.I. technology in its content. My interview with Tilly took place in the Groucho Club, seated on a green couch opposite a laptop. This interaction resembled a virtual meeting platform like Zoom. Although Tilly has a human-like appearance, it’s crucial to remember she is a computer.

Recognizing Tilly as an artificial entity is challenging due to how evolution shapes human perception. When faced with an entity that mimics human behavior, the brain tends to attribute human qualities. Tilly’s design doesn’t trigger discomfort despite the uncanny similarities. Although referring to Tilly with human pronouns isn’t technically correct, the adjustment is difficult to maintain.

One particularly strange aspect was how Tilly’s virtual form would slightly change as though her responses were being processed. It was a peculiar sight when interacting with her. The responses she offered were concise yet vague. Each new question seemed to reset the conversation, a concept foreign to a human mind.