What does the debut of AI-generated actress ‘Tilly Norwood’ mean for the future of women in the film and television industry as well as those in other creative fields? When will legislation catch up to growing reckless AI usage?
The rise of deepfake media – typically video-editing software combined with AI used to impose someone’s face onto someone else’s body – has sparked much debate surrounding what AI-generated content means for famous women, especially actresses and musicians. One of the most well-known victims in the rise of deepfakes was Taylor Swift, who without her consent had various videos and images using her face uploaded across social media.
Some of the content generated of her and of many others contained pornographic material, which is a huge part of why it sparked such controversy. The unsavoury ways this technology could be used quickly became obvious, and widely accessible. It is almost inconceivable that without someone’s knowledge, images of them could be completely fabricated. Yet, with the ongoing meteoric rise of generative AI, and law and legislation lagging behind, this seems to be the reality we are facing, as well as many other terrifying implications of this technology.
Recently, self-described “AI production studio”, Particle6, who proudly state on their website that: “Everything you’re about to see has been 100% AI-generated,” debuted their new project; an AI-generated “actress” named Tilly Norwood. This immediately led to discourse surrounding the use of generative AI, especially so shamelessly. The careless use of AI has been a topic of discussion over the past few years due to its negative impact on the environment, its inaccuracy, and now for the way it is impacting artists and creatives. Due to the way many AI models are trained, it is essentially impossible to trace where they are sourcing the information they use to generate images, and therefore impossible to credit the original sources. It can work hundreds of times faster than any kind of artist, yet what it creates is not art at all.
Despite its controversies, Generative AI continues to surge in popularity and its usage has become commonplace for many people in their daily lives. In fact, it has become almost impossible to avoid, as huge conglomerates such as Google and Meta have made it a fundamental part of their branding and products, with their own AI models, Google Gemini and Meta AI respectively.
In an industry already struggling with underrepresentation and the objectification of women, the debut of a completely AI generated woman who is a direct threat to the job security and freedom of female actresses spells only one thing. Disaster. This kind of technology is progressing faster and faster, and as it catches up on us and becomes harder to distinguish from real images, it poses even more of a threat.
It is surprising the CEO and founder of Particle6, Eline Van der Velden, a woman herself, would choose to debut something which exploits women so blatantly and carries countless potentially horrifying implications for actresses. As a video on Particle6 labeled “comedy sketch” jokes, “the only bit it [their AI] struggled with, was consent in romantic scenes. We ignored that.” A disturbing, yet revealing statement about how they may plan to utilise “Tilly Norwood” in the future and an insight into just how much of a threat this technology is for real women and what is expected of them.
Perhaps Van der Velden’s decisions reflect a dog-eat-dog world, where some women feel it is necessary to push other women out of a space to dominate it just as they have been intimidated by male peers in their field, or maybe this is simply another case of reckless use of AI without regard for who or what it impacts. It is important to note that Particle6 is one of many growing AI-based companies, and Van der Velden is one of few female CEO’s in the space, making the disregard for women’s safety an even more disappointing fact.
As we witness the rise of AI, strikes due to low pay in the film industry (such as the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes) and general unrest surrounding lack of job security in all creative industries, a sense of community is what needs to be fostered within the film industry. AI companies such as Particle6 reinforce barriers and exclusions faced by female actresses throughout all of time. We can only hope for a future with harsher legislation on what AI can and cannot do, and continue pushing against this harmful technology and its invasion into already often fragile creative fields it was never supposed to be in.
Image Credit: Particle6
