Indie musician threatens legal action over AI actress doppelganger

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Transcript

00:00Imagine scrolling through TikTok and suddenly seeing yourself, except it's not you.

00:04It's an AI-generated actress who looks exactly like you.

00:08That's what reportedly happened to 20-year-old Nashville musician Stella Hinnon.

00:11When news broke that a digital performer named Tilly Norwood was reportedly in talks to sign

00:16with a real Hollywood talent agency, Stella's friend sent her the story.

00:20At first, Stella thought it was a prank, but then she saw Tilly and couldn't believe her eyes.

00:30The actress that was supposedly, quote, created from scratch, looked like Stella's mirror image.

00:38Stella's TikTok calling out the eerie resemblance went viral,

00:41with fans comparing it to an episode of Black Mirror.

00:44Ouch.

00:45Oh my god, she even has your hair.

00:49And many urged her to sue, while others joked she should play Tilly in her own biopic.

00:54But Stella isn't laughing.

00:55The young musician told Slate it feels like she's looking at pictures of herself

00:58she doesn't remember taking.

01:00But who exactly is Tilly Norwood?

01:03Tilly's a reported brainchild of Dutch comedian and technologist Aline van der Velden,

01:08created at her AI studio, Particle 6.

01:10Just last week at the Zurich Summit, van der Velden reportedly revealed that major talent

01:14agencies are circling, ready to sign Tilly as one of Hollywood's first fully AI actresses.

01:19But not all of Hollywood is cheering.

01:21According to BBC, Emily Blunt called the creation terrifying,

01:24while Natasha Lyonne stated,

01:26Any agency that engages in this should be boycotted by all guilds.

01:30And SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, condemned Tilly outright,

01:34reminding studios that this is exactly the fight they went on strike for back in 2023.

01:39Meanwhile, Stella's caught in the middle.

01:41The indie singer-songwriter told Slate she's now consulting her lawyers,

01:44and she's worried this isn't just her problem,

01:47explaining,

01:47I feel like it undermines the true creative process.

01:51I'd rather be the one acting.

01:52Put me in a rom-com.

01:54And it's not just acting.

01:56In music, we at What's Trending just covered another bombshell.

01:59An AI-powered R&B vocalist, Zania Monet,

02:02landed a $3 million record deal and topped Billboard's digital R&B charts.

02:07So it seems AI performers are pushing into industries built on human creativity.

02:11And for Stella Hennon, it's a little personal.

02:13So should Stella sue and should agencies boycott AI performers?

02:17Share your thoughts and follow us everywhere at What's Trending.