The woman behind the world’s first AI actress has revealed ambitious plans to expand her digital roster, despite facing intense backlash from Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Eline Van der Velden, creator of the controversial AI character Tilly Norwood, told in an exclusive interview that she intends to develop 40 diverse digital performers to populate what she calls an entirely new “AI genre” of entertainment.
“The plan is to create 40 very diverse characters to build her whole universe and to play in this AI genre with a whole new cast,” Van der Velden said, adding that several characters are already in development though none are ready for public release.
The announcement comes roughly one month after Van der Velden’s September presentation at the Zurich Summit sparked global controversy. Speaking at the intimate industry event, the actress-turned-technologist revealed she was in discussions with talent agents to represent Tilly, triggering widespread condemnation across the entertainment world.
Whoopi Goldberg, Emily Blunt and Natasha Lyonne were among the celebrities who expressed outrage at the development. Ryan Reynolds even mocked the AI actress in a Mint Mobile advertisement. SAG-AFTRA issued a statement emphasizing that creativity “should remain, human-centered,” while powerhouse agency WME declared it would not represent AI actors.
“I could never have imagined this story would blow up as much as it did,” Van der Velden admitted. “I’m upset that we upset people, because that was never the intention to upset the acting community.”
The trained physicist, who founded AI production studio Particle6 a decade ago before launching the Xicoia talent studio offshoot, insisted the polished brunette character was created through what she described as a “super ethical” and “transparent” process involving 15 human team members over six months.
Van der Velden explained that creating Tilly required extensive iteration, with her team using various AI tools to craft everything from the character’s appearance to specific details like freckle placement. The team tested multiple versions with industry professionals and general audiences before settling on the final design.
“We wanted her to be super realistic to show the world where the tech is at and what’s possible,” she said. “We also wanted her to resonate with a certain audience. Her look was very specific and that was a very creative pursuit, with a lot of humans working on it.”
Despite the fierce criticism, Van der Velden maintained that conversations with talent agencies continue. She revealed that Academy Award-winning writers, directors and actors have contacted her studio expressing interest in exploring the technology.
“As much as there was a backlash, we have been absolutely inundated with requests of top talent,” she said. “Everybody wants to have a play and that’s a positive thing.”
Van der Velden firmly rejected suggestions that Tilly’s launch was merely a publicity stunt, pointing out that the character had been soft-launched over the summer with minimal attention. She also dismissed comparisons to performance artists like Sacha Baron Cohen.
The entrepreneur drew a distinction between her two businesses. Particle6, she explained, works with traditional filmmakers to reduce production costs and carbon footprints while using real actors. Xicoia, meanwhile, focuses exclusively on creating content within what she envisions as a separate AI entertainment genre.
“I feel strongly that there are three genres: animation, traditional live action and the AI genre,” Van der Velden said. “Tilly was always meant to be in her AI genre, and that’s where she’ll stay.”
She emphasized that her studio has turned down opportunities that would involve replacing human actors with AI characters. “We have been approached for those types of opportunities but that’s not what we want to do with Tilly, and we have not taken those opportunities,” she stated.
Van der Velden argued that AI technology could serve as a “force for good” by enabling projects to receive greenlight approval that might otherwise struggle due to shrinking budgets and risk-averse executives. She compared the situation to radiology, where increased use of AI technology ultimately created more jobs rather than eliminating them.
“This is the creative renaissance. We’re going to see more projects going into greenlight. More films are going to get made. This industry is going to have an enormous boom,” she predicted.
However, she acknowledged that the entertainment industry needs to establish guidelines and protections quickly. Van der Velden advocated for explicit consent and fair compensation whenever someone’s likeness is used, while also arguing that original AI characters like Tilly deserve copyright protection.
“The change, the guidelines and the industry standards should come from our creative industries, as opposed to it being imposed on us by the tech industries,” she said.
Van der Velden’s company is expanding rapidly, with plans to triple its 15-person workforce within a month. She indicated that many traditional media companies are already using Particle6’s services but remain under non-disclosure agreements due to fear of public backlash.
When pressed about concerns that AI will eliminate jobs for working actors trying to build their careers, Van der Velden pointed to industry evolution. “The industry changes. It does happen and jobs do change. Our jobs are not what they were. In the 1900s, none of our jobs existed. I can’t protect everyone from that.”
She added that young actors have approached her studio asking to participate in AI genre projects, while established performers unable to work on set due to age have inquired about creating digital twins of themselves.
As the debate over AI’s role in entertainment continues, Van der Velden positioned herself as someone who wants to help shape industry standards rather than disrupt them.