Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current
Preferred Name
Samuel Rooker
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
ORCID
0009-0009-7265-0989
Date of Graduation
5-15-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Publish
yes
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
School of Integrated Sciences
First Advisor
Jennifer Davis
Second Advisor
Dennis Lo
Third Advisor
Philip Baxter
Fourth Advisor
Giangiuseppe Pili
Fifth Advisor
Philip Frana
Abstract
In late 2025, weekly trade publication Variety Magazine reported on the announcement of a new acting talent in Hollywood: Tilly Norwood. Norwood is an industry outsider and the pet project of Eline Van der Velden, who unveiled the actress’ existence to the world at the Zurich Film Festival. The announcement quickly gained media coverage while Van der Velden has since faced cyclical backlash from Hollywood trade unions, which does not seem entirely without reason. Tilly Norwood is a digital persona, a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) program, designed by Van der Velden’s novel AI talent studio, Xicoia, to become the next leap in the Hollywood film industry’s AI involvement. The tone of Xicoia’s advertising campaign for Norwood seems to be mostly satirical, favoring dark humor which suggests the entire venture is a mere publicity stunt. Even so, Norwood’s emergence has continually generated conversations across policy makers, film industry insiders, and the viewing public as to what her presence may signify for the future of the cinematic medium. The backlash Xicoia has faced from creative laborers suggests a broader trend of fear, animosity, and overall confusion over the differing perspectives on policy outcomes for AI use in Hollywood filmmaking. Perhaps then, the question should be asked: If Tilly Norwood was a serious endeavor, what differing policy perspectives could evolve to address the massive AI inequity issues within the U.S film industry that she represents? With Norwood as a socioeconomic case study, this forecasting analysis explores the alternatives that could arise for policy outcomes aiming to address this issue over the short-term time range of the next five years. First, sweeping punitive measures will be weighed for their limitations on artistic freedom and economic challenges. Then, analysis will consider how a hands-off approach from regulators could deepen inequities in the current political reality. Finally, a cooperative approach which places both the interests of laborers and studios in balance will be explored for its implementation challenges. As Tilly Norwood and GenAI products like her emerge over the next five years, the policy outcomes that determine their development are likely to diverge in wildly different directions. Those branching outcomes will decide the prosperity of millions who look to Hollywood for entertainment, innovation, and stable employment.
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