Tilly Norwood gives first live interview ever at IBC2026

She said: “We can't win the [AI] arms race – China and the US are going to be battling that one out, and so instead, where we can win is by implementing creativity with the AI that other people are creating and putting it in a more fun jacket and doing it wilder and more creative than ever before.” 

“We've done some looking at stats, and [Tilly gets] about 20% negative reactions online, and on the other hand you get a lot of likes, and you get a lot of people that want to work with us and experiment and try new things and learn new things, I think everyone's trying to future-proof themselves because this is coming. We’re just putting the [AI] tech into a fun jacket.” 

Sniffer dogs and a security detail of professional doormen set the scene for an unveiling that was inevitably polarising, with Sasha Twining, Conference Host putting some well-documented concerns to Van der Velden, centering on job displacement and devaluing the craft of acting.  

Van der Velden rebutted the concerns: “We didn't build the models! I didn't build this tech, but we've used it. It's not like we can say, we're only going to let China use this tech and we're never going to. That's just not how it works. It's going to come and be in our industry. So how are we going to ethically use it? What do we think is the right way to use it? I did not think it was right to make digital twins of people without their consent and compensation, for example!” 

Van der Velden continued: “AI is evolving rapidly. We wanted to explore what entertainment could become and answer one question: ‘Could an AI-native performer earn a genuine place in film and TV.’ Creating Tilly took a team of 15 people and over 2,000 creative iterations. To get here, Particle 6 and Sequoia had to innovate. We built a human-directed AI production pipeline, connecting scripting, character design, voice, personality, and performance. With every production, Tilly evolved through new tools and new partnerships between creativity and tech. What started as an experiment became a global conversation.” 

Velden initially positioned Tilly Norwood to the audience as a teaching tool to raise awareness among the public about the maturity of the tech, as well as to promote discussion – not least about the carbon footprint of the Hollywood movie industry.  

“There are a few positives about making films with AI. The carbon footprint is 99% lower. The water consumption is 99% lower compared to traditional production. People say AI is really bad for the environment, but actually, you should only be watching AI films if you really care about the environment!” 

Following a well-trodden road, Tilly Norwood will be live to the general public next week for three days. “I assume people try and break it, so that's why we're only doing three days just to see what's going on. But what I'm passionate about is extending the entertainment space. We have a film coming out next two films coming out next year, and the characters will be able to do their own press junkets. They'll be able to announce the show. They'll be able to talk about their performances and their experiences,” said Van der Velden.