When the news about Tilly Norwood, the world’s first AI-created movie star, hit Hollywood, the discussions exploded. Actors’ unions raged. Emily Blunt called it "really, really scary." Critics said it was a threat to human culture. But in the middle of the storm, we must ask the bigger question: Is this the end of human creativity – or the beginning of a new era where creativity finally becomes available to everyone?
To understand this, we can look at three parallels: ABBA’s avatars in London, KISS’s future plans, and the Sphere in Las Vegas. Together they show that technology has already changed our view of what is “real” – and that the train cannot be stopped.
The Criticism – the Threat to the Human
The reactions have been fierce:
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SAG-AFTRA quickly declared that Tilly is not an actor, but a digital construct.
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Emily Blunt voiced concern that “the very soul of acting” risks being lost.
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The Guardian warned of a “blandified film culture,” where everything becomes uniform and soulless.
The criticism can be summarized in three points:
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Threat to jobs – thousands of actors risk being replaced by synthetic figures.
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Ethical concerns – whose faces, voices, and bodies was Tilly trained on? Do real people get compensated?
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Authenticity – can an AI truly convey the experience, improvisation, and sensitivity that a human can?
ABBAtars and KISS – the Entertainment of Tomorrow
But here’s the counterexample: ABBA Voyage in London.
An entire spectacle built on avatars – ABBAtars – where audiences dance and cry to a concert where no human actually stands on stage. The audience knows it’s an illusion, but the feeling is real.
KISS has openly said they want to go the same way: even when they stop touring, KISS should live on in digital form. For them, the band is a brand, a concept that can be extended forever.
Here we see something important: audiences already accept artificial culture. We know ABBAtars are not Benny, Björn, Agnetha, or Frida – but it doesn’t matter. The experience works.
The Sphere in Las Vegas – the Power of Illusion
The Sphere in Las Vegas is the world’s most advanced LED building. It can show the moon, forests, oceans – right in the desert. It is not real, but it creates emotions. The question is: should we tear down the Sphere just because it doesn’t show the “real” desert outside?
Of course not. Everyone knows it’s an illusion, yet people flock to it. We want to be moved.
Tilly Norwood is, in a way, the same: an illusion that can touch us – but only if we accept the rules of the game and know it is not reality.
Can It Be Stopped?
Here comes the key question: can this be stopped?
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Technically: no. AI actors are already here. The technology is getting better, cheaper, and more accessible.
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Legally: what can be done is regulation. Requirements for labeling, transparency with audiences, and compensation for those whose data has been used.
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Culturally: the only real brake is the audience. If people say “we don’t want this,” then it dies. But ABBAtars show the opposite – people accept illusions as long as the experience feels meaningful.
Creativity for Everyone
Here lies the most exciting aspect. As the technology becomes available to all, it opens the door to a world where people who never called themselves creative can now create.
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Someone who never dared write a script can let ChatGPT produce a story and Tilly star in it.
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Someone who dreamed of starting a band but never learned guitar can now create music that sounds like a mix of Metallica and Beethoven.
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Someone who had an idea for a film “that never got made” can now actually see it.
This is a democratization of creativity.
In the past, cultural production was exclusive – controlled by money, networks, and access to stages and studios. Now anyone can sit at a laptop and create.
The Risks – Drowning in Content
But here lies a risk: when everyone can create, we may drown in content.
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How do we separate what has value from the noise?
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How do we find stories with real weight, when algorithms can generate millions of films and songs instantly?
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Will we eventually long back to simplicity – a human on stage telling a story in their own words?
Perhaps the value of the human will become even greater in the future, precisely because it will be a rarer resource.
A Hybrid World – the Most Likely Scenario
The most likely outcome is not that AI fully replaces humans, but that we get a hybrid world:
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Some roles played by AI actors, others by humans.
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Some concerts built on avatars, others by live bands.
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Some stories machine-generated, others born of lived human experience.
Just as the desert and the Sphere can coexist, so can Tilly Norwood and Meryl Streep.
The Future Stage – from Hollywood to the Living Room
The real revolution may not be what Hollywood does with Tilly Norwood, but what we ourselves can do.
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Children can create their own films at the kitchen table.
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Seniors can start the band they never had time for.
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Anyone can explore the stories they’ve always carried inside.
AI makes culture not only something we consume – but something we can all produce.
Conclusion – The Illusion Is Already Here
Tilly Norwood is not a threat in herself. She is a symbol. A mirror of our time. A marker that we have already crossed the boundary between real and artificial.
We cannot stop the Sphere in Las Vegas. We cannot stop ABBAtars or KISS avatars. We cannot stop Tilly Norwood. The question is not if – but how we choose to live with illusions.
And perhaps this is where the hope lies: creativity has never been more accessible than it is now. The films we never saw can be made. The band we never heard can be played. The voices that never had space can finally take the stage.
But in the middle of all this we must remind ourselves: technology can create illusions, but it cannot replace what makes us human – our ability to experience, to feel, to improvise, to be imperfect and unique.
Just as the desert remains behind the Sphere, humanity remains behind Tilly. And that is where we must find balance.
✍️ The core of this reflection:
AI like Tilly Norwood is not just about replacing actors – it redefines our entire view of creativity. But instead of seeing it as the end, we can see it as the beginning of something new – a world where illusion and reality coexist, and where creativity is finally free for everyone.
By Chris...