The woman you see above might look as real as any other human, but she’s not.

She’s actually an artificial intelligence-generated actress named Tilly Norwood who, after a short time on the scene, has sparked interest among talent agents who are keen to hire her.

As such, she’s been hailed as ‘the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman’, sparking outrage from big names in Hollywood, who are branding it ‘gross’ and expressing rage towards the agencies who wish to sign her.

This has led to the creator of Tilly firing back, insisting that the digital actress is not a ‘replacement’ for a human being.

Taking to Instagram, comedian and technologist Eline Van der Velden wrote: ‘To those who have expressed anger over the creation of my AI character, Tilly Norwood, she is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art.

‘Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.’

Van der Velden added: ‘I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool, a new paintbrush. Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories.

‘I’m an actor myself, and nothing – certainly not an AI character – can take away the craft or joy of human performance.’

She said that ‘creating Tilly has been, for me, an act of imagination and craftsmanship, not unlike drawing a character, writing a role, or shaping a performance’.

‘It takes time, skill, and iteration to bring such a character to life,’ Van der Velden argued. ‘She represents experimentation, not substitution.

‘Much of my work has always been about holding up a mirror to society through satire, and this is no different.’

She also believes that ‘AI characters should be judged as part of their own genre, on their own merits’, not compared directly to human beings.

‘Each form of art has its place, and each can be valued for what it uniquely brings,’ she wrote.

Concluding on an optimistic note, the creator shared her hopes that ‘we can welcome AI as part of the wider artistic family’ and simply as ‘one more way to express ourselves, alongside theatre, film, painting, music, and countless others’.

‘When we celebrate all forms of creativity, we open doors to new voices, new stories, and new ways of connecting with each other.’