SAG-AFTRA Condemns AI-Generated ‘Actress’ Tilly Norwood, Calling It a Threat to Human Creativity

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The launch of an AI-generated “actress” named Tilly Norwood has sparked an uproar in Hollywood, with the SAG-AFTRA performers’ union condemning her creation as a step toward replacing human talent with “synthetics.”

Tilly Norwood was introduced on Saturday at the Zurich Summit, a film industry conference, through a 20-second video parody about making an AI-generated TV show. The photorealistic character—depicted as a young British actress with brown hair and a social media presence—was created by Eline Van der Velden, a Dutch actor and producer who runs the London-based AI studio Particle6.

Van der Velden told attendees that after initial skepticism, Hollywood agents and executives are showing interest and hinted at an upcoming deal with a major talent agency.

The debut comes amid deepening anxiety in the entertainment world about AI’s growing role in film and television. Concerns about studios using digital replicas of performers were central to SAG-AFTRA’s recent contract negotiations with streamers and major studios.

“Creativity is, and should remain, human-centered,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement Tuesday. “The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics.” It stressed that Tilly Norwood “is not an actor” but a computer-generated creation “trained on the work of countless professional performers—without permission or compensation.”

Van der Velden defended the project, describing Tilly as “a creative work—a piece of art” meant to provoke discussion, not replace human performers.

Still, her earlier comments—saying she wanted Tilly to become “the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman”—have fueled fears among actors and filmmakers.

Experts, however, remain skeptical. Yves Bergquist, director of AI in media at the University of Southern California’s Entertainment Technology Center, dismissed the hype as “nonsense.” He said there is “zero interest from serious people in Hollywood” in fully synthetic stars, adding, “Scarlett Johansson has a fan base. Scarlett Johansson is a person.”

Tilly Norwood may not be human—but she has reignited a very human debate over art, identity, and the future of performance.

U.S. Agency Sues Apple Over Alleged Religious Discrimination Against Jewish Employee

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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the tech giant of religious discrimination and retaliation against a Jewish retail employee who was allegedly harassed, denied religious accommodations, and later fired.

According to the complaint filed Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, the manager of Apple’s Reston, Virginia store made antisemitic remarks toward employee Tyler Steele, forced him to work on the Jewish Sabbath, and warned him not to discuss the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel with colleagues. The manager also allegedly told Steele that he “smelled like body odor.”

The EEOC says Steele, who began working for Apple in 2007 as an “Apple Genius,” converted to Judaism in 2023 and soon after requested to be excused from working from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown to observe the Sabbath. The new store manager denied these requests, the lawsuit states.

Steele reportedly complained twice to Apple’s management, but no action was taken. He was fired in January 2024, just days after again refusing to work on a Friday, according to the EEOC.

The lawsuit, filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, alleging Apple engaged in “malicious and reckless conduct.”

Apple did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Under Acting Chair Andrea Lucas, a Trump-appointed conservative Christian, the EEOC has increased scrutiny of cases involving religious discrimination. In a statement last August, Lucas argued that during the Biden administration, “religious protections too often took a backseat to woke policies.”

The case adds to Apple’s growing list of legal challenges related to workplace treatment and corporate responsibility.

Tata Communications Teams Up with BSNL to Launch eSIM Services Nationwide

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Tata Communications has announced a strategic partnership with state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to introduce eSIM services across India. Leveraging Tata Communications’ Move platform, the initiative allows users to activate mobile connectivity digitally, removing the need for a physical SIM card. This feature also supports dual-SIM devices, enabling users to run an eSIM alongside a traditional SIM, which can be especially convenient for travelers who want to connect to local networks internationally. Devamını Oku