By Ainsley Lambert

How many videos have you watched, wondering if it is real or not? Seeing a mountain lion becoming friends with a baby in a stroller is totally normal to see on a random Tuesday. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now progressing from our phones to the big screens. Tensions are high between actors and audiences with this new change in the movie industry, and is leaving us wondering where this step will take us for the future.

AI is spreading like wildfire. It is taking over the entertainment industry, which was unheard of until recently. Tilly Norwood was created in February 2025 by Particle6 Group’s AI division, Xicoia. Her first debut that sparked madness from actors was “AI Commissioner,” a comedy sketch. 

You would probably walk right past the human version of her on the street–with her brown hair and light makeup, she looks just like one of us. I personally have not heard her talk, but since they used high-tech technology to create her, her body language and voice is intended to be an exact replica of a human. A former actor and technologist, Eline Van der Veldan plans on making multiple AI actors to test the waters of this entertainment change and challenge other genres with a new one called “AI genre.”

People used to discuss harmless topics such as whether pineapple belongs on pizza or if bread belongs in the fridge. Who ever would have thought the bigger discussion topic now would be if AI characters belong in the movie industry or on television. Mixed feelings are swirling around the internet like a tornado, taking sides with differing outcomes. Actors are clapping back with hateful comments about this change, not wanting their jobs to be taken by robots. Actors are speaking up, bringing attention to the fact that robots cannot express true, raw emotions like humans. Being an actor takes dedication, practice and is challenging, so having a robot come in and do it with just a couple clicks of a button takes away the human connection in entertainment. Plus, no AI-generated actor can recreate Glen Powell being shirtless on my screen. 

With Tilly Norwood as the first watched AI actor, concerns are raised, including the human consent rule. AI and robots need humans in order to work, so without humans, many concerns are emerging. Some of those concerns are a loss of control, problem solving and critical thinking. Lastly, Tilly is thousands of movie characters copied into one, becoming a copyright issue which is now a problem swirling around the U.S. copyright laws. When watching television shows and movies, people will start to question whether the actors are real. This not only takes away from the enjoyment of the movie but it will also slowly disintegrate the entertainment industry. If you had the choice, would you rather watch an AI actor or human?

Courtesy of the Cornell Daily Sun