Tilly Norwood doesn't exist, but according to NBC News, the AI "actress" is poised to spearhead her own digital universe, or Tillyverse.
Norwood is an artificial-intelligence-generated character created by Particle6's AI division, Xicoia.
On Monday, Particle6 CEO Eline Van Der Velden issued an ambitious news release announcing "the rapid expansion of AI actor Tilly Norwood" and the purported launch of the Tillyverse.
The latter was vaguely described as "a dynamic, constantly evolving digital universe where Tilly and a new generation of AI characters will live, collaborate, and build careers" in an announcement that was suspiciously light on details.
Tilly Norwood (@tillynorwood) was introduced in May, and, nearly a year later, her verified Instagram account has a scant 90,000 followers.
On a recent, extremely brief Reel, commenters were unimpressed, with some questioning why Norwood hadn't done anything.
"Has Tilly been in a film yet? Or is she an out of work actor? I can't make it make sense," a user wrote. Other commenters castigated AI actors and art, decrying it as "slop."
Public opinion on generative AI has shifted dramatically in recent months for a variety of reasons. While initial AI blowback tended to focus on issues such as putting artists, writers, and actors out of work, the backlash has also undergone a rapid expansion.
AI adoption has caused chaos in schools and workplaces, but data centers have emerged as a flashpoint. Communities near data centers were the first to raise objections about the noise and air pollution they generated.
Within a few months, data center energy demand had led to exorbitant electricity bills nationwide, with ratepayers forced to subsidize the AI industry's profits. The Department of Energy warned that blackouts would multiply if capacity wasn't added to the public grid.
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Save $1,000 this year 💸 At the same time, concerns about an AI bubble escalated, and a general impression solidified that the technology was still nowhere near living up to its promises.
A discussion on Reddit's r/Fauxmoi exemplified this widespread AI skepticism and fatigue.
"I love how every week the team behind this project buys another round of desperate articles claiming Tilly Norwood is the Next Big Thing even though there's clearly no genuine public interest. Worst industry plant ever," a commenter wrote.
"'Rapidly expanding.' You mean without putting out any content or being able to describe what anything will look like other than using tired buzzwords?" another said. "This story only exists to be a story. The agency that 'signed' the model is owned by the startup that created it. Stop giving this attention."
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