DiscoverConnections PodcastNew AI “actor” causes an uproar
New AI “actor” causes an uproar

New AI “actor” causes an uproar

Update: 2025-10-06
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NPR asks, "could the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman" be Tilly Norwood? Here's the catch: Norwood isn’t human; she is an artificial intelligence creation generated by a Dutch AI lab. Last week, the lab announced that their AI “actor” had received attention from multiple talent agents. They want their creation to become a household name, a mega-star. But some human performers are outraged, calling this story a threat to their livelihoods while asking who would want to watch AI avatars. Our guests discuss the future of acting.

Our guests:


  • Nicole Cyrille, actor, chair of the SAG-AFTRA Performers with Disabilities Committee - Los Angeles, and vice chair of the SAG-AFTRA Performers with Disabilities Committee - National

  • Reuben J. Tapp, Sr., artistic director of {theatre}+{nàfsi}, member of Bronze Collective, and local voiceover artist with VisionPoint Media

  • J. Simmons, actor/director, educator/private acting coach, and fight choreographer 

  • Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture and founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University 

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New AI “actor” causes an uproar

New AI “actor” causes an uproar

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