14 views

Sept. 30, 2025, 1:42 PM EDT / Updated Sept. 30, 2025, 3:12 PM EDTBy Matt Lavietes and Saba HamedyA major Hollywood actors’ union condemned reports that talent agents are looking to sign AI “actor” Tilly Norwood for representation. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, said in a statement Tuesday that Tilly Norwood “is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers.””It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience,” the union said. The union blasted the AI creation for “using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.”SAG-AFTRA added that Hollywood producers “should be aware that they may not use synthetic performers without complying with our contractual obligations, which generally require notice and bargaining whenever a synthetic performer is going to be used,” it added.Tilly Norwood was made by the AI company Particle6 Productions, led by comedian and writer Eline Van der Velden, who announced on Saturday at the Zurich Film Festival that several talent agencies were looking to cast the AI creation in various films and shows, prompting a wave of outrage in Hollywood. Actors, including Emily Blunt, Lukas Gage, Melissa Barrera and Kiersey Clemons, have slammed the AI creation. On Monday, EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg opened an episode of “The View” slamming it.”It’s a little bit of an unfair advantage. But you know what? Bring it on,” she said. “Because you can always tell them from us.”Meet Tilly Norwood, an AI Actress Causing a Stir in Hollywood03:06Van der Velden pushed back on the criticism on Sunday, writing in a statement on Instagram that she sees “AI not as a replacement for people, but as a tool — a new paintbrush.””AI characters should be judged as part of their own genre, on their own merits, rather than compared directly with human actors,” she wrote. “Each form of art has its place, and each can be valued for what it uniquely brings.”Van der Velden’s company, Particle6, did not immediately return a request for comment on the union’s statement. As part of a landmark deal between SAG-AFTRA and major Hollywood studios in 2023 — following a strike that lasted more than 100 days — the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers meet twice a year to make sure they are complying with federal regulations of AI as it continues to evolve.At The Grill, an entertainment conference in Los Angeles hosted by The Wrap on Tuesday, speakers on AI-focused panels were asked about Tilly Norwood and whether the notion of a digital actor should be taken seriously.Yves Bergquist, director of AI in media at USC’s Entertainment Technology Center, said it was “nonsense.”“AI music has been a possibility for years and years and years, and we don’t have any major AI artists out there,” he said during a panel titled “From Ideation to Innovation: AI In the Studio Pipeline.” “I think it’s a gimmick … are there going to be digital characters in certain films down the road? Yeah of course,” Bergquist said. “Are there actually going to be talent that’s digital? … No, and boo.”Matt LavietesMatt Lavietes is a reporter for NBC News.Saba HamedySaba Hamedy is the trends and culture editor for NBC News.Lindsay Good contributed.

- Latest News - October 1, 2025

A major Hollywood actors’ union condemned reports that talent agents are looking to sign AI “actor” Tilly Norwood for representation.

Source link

TAGS:
15 views

Sept. 30, 2025, 8:49 PM EDTBy Monica Alba and Raquel Coronell UribeWASHINGTON — National parks will remain partially open during the government shutdown set to begin Wednesday, according to an Interior Department contingency plan posted Tuesday evening.Open-air sites will remain open to the public, but buildings that require staffing, such as visitor centers or sites like the Washington Monument, will be closed. Health and safety will continue to be addressed for sites that remain operational, meaning restrooms will be open and trash will be collected, the Interior Department said.The contingency plans specify that park roads, lookouts, trails and open-air memorials will stay open but emergency services will be limited. The department added that if public access begins to pose a safety, health or resource protection issue, an area must close.Critical Senate vote fails as shutdown deadline looms02:02The contingency plan says that about 64% of the National Park Service workforce is set to be furloughed and that those kept on would perform “excepted” activities, such as law enforcement or emergency response, border and coastal protection and surveillance, and fire suppression and monitoring.The published plans come hours before a funding lapse across the federal government. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told agencies in a memo Tuesday night to begin implementing their shutdown plans.Recent shutdowns led to confusion about the public’s access to national parks. During the last shutdown, in his first term, President Donald Trump ordered parks to remain open. Trails and outdoor sites stayed open ,and some staff members stayed on to clean restrooms and empty trash cans.Still, many park employees were furloughed, resulting in trash piling up and restrooms filling up with human waste. Some parks, including California’s Joshua Tree, eventually had to close because of damage made by unsupervised visitors.That shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, lasting 34 days.During the 2013 shutdown, the park service took a different approach to park access. At the time, park gates were closed and bathrooms were locked. Trash went uncollected, and fencing went up around some sites, like the Lincoln Memorial.In both shutdowns, there was more notice about the plan, whereas the contingency plans published Tuesday night came just hours before a shutdown.The park service workforce, which could experience significant furloughs, is already more depleted than usual. The National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy organization, estimated in July that the park service lost 24% of its permanent staff as a consequence of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency.The park service reinstated a number of purged employees, however, The Associated Press reported this month.The park service did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night on the number of job cuts and how many people were rehired.The National Parks Conservation Association said Monday that the impacts of keeping parks open last time were “disastrous” and that some parks suffered damage that took months or even years to recover from.“A government shutdown would leave our parks understaffed and vulnerable, putting our most cherished places and millions of visitors at risk. If a national park has a gate or door, it must be locked until a funding deal is reached and our parks can be staffed and protected,” it said in a news release.Meanwhile, a letter signed by more than 40 former park superintendents urged Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to close parks, too, arguing that keeping them open during past shutdowns caused harm to them and jeopardized visitor safety.“If you don’t act now, history is not just doomed to repeat itself, the damage could in fact be much worse,” the letter said.Monica AlbaMonica Alba is a White House correspondent for NBC News.Raquel Coronell UribeRaquel Coronell Uribe is a breaking news reporter. 

- Latest News - October 1, 2025

Open-air sites will remain open to the public, but buildings that require staffing, such as visitor centers or attractions like the Washington Monument, will be closed.

Source link

TAGS: