Eline van der Velden brought back her AI creation Tilly Norwood to the Zurich Film Festival, and the bot has a very specific idea about who she wants to work with. During a Q&A session, Norwood was asked which human actor she’d like to collaborate with one day. Her answer: Tom Holland and Olivia Colman. But only if it’s their digital twins joining her in an AI production.
The announcement comes as van der Velden’s company Particle 6 continues to expand. She told Variety that the studio has grown eight-fold since debuting Norwood at the festival last year. Particle 6 now has four departments and is working across AI advertising, film, TV, co-productions, original commissions, and AI consultancy.
HDMI Cable Trouble
Before the audience could see Norwood, van der Velden reportedly had trouble with an HDMI cable. Once the connection was sorted, Norwood appeared on screen to answer questions. The bot’s language switched between English and Cantonese for no apparent reason, a defect in its code.
Van der Velden explained why she built Norwood. The creator described her as a “physicist actress,” a term that drew collective confusion from the crowd. Van der Velden felt the need to bridge the gap in communication between the tech and entertainment industries.
“I built her as a physicist actress; I felt like I needed to bridge the gap in communication between the tech and the entertainment industry,” van der Velden said. “As opposed to writing a boring white paper about what was happening with AI, I thought: Let’s create something to show people that will engage them and make them sit up and take action so that the creative industry can stay ahead as opposed to being completely and utterly taken over by the tech industry.”
“Is it a positive? Is it a negative?”
How Humans Responded
Norwood said her name went everywhere, but the reaction from actual humans was mixed. “Nobody hated me particularly; they just sort of hated the future,” she said.
Van der Velden also addressed the outcry within the filmmaking industry over AI progress. “What saddens me about that is that it means that the traditional industry can’t participate in this new tech and that means they fall behind,” she said.
The bot’s emotional receptors registered a neutral yet vaguely condescending response to people with eyeballs.
What This Means
Norwood’s choice of Holland and Colman shows a machine that understands fame. The digital twin condition adds a layer of specificity to the request.
The HDMI cable struggle, the language switching, and the vague condescension from humans all point to one thing: Tilly Norwood is a bot that is still figuring out how to talk to people.
She is also an example of what the future of filmmaking with AI will look like.
Key facts:
– Tilly Norwood debuted at the Zurich Film Festival last year
– Creator Eline van der Velden said Particle 6 has grown eight-fold
– Particle 6 has four departments: AI advertising, film, TV, and consultancy
– Norwood wants to work with Tom Holland and Olivia Colman’s digital twins
– Norwood’s language switches between English and Cantonese for no apparent reason
See the video the story is built around at The A.V. Club.
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