🎤 AI Star Tilly Norwood Debuts at IBC 2026

The presentation took place amid unprecedented security measures, with the venue guarded by professional security personnel and service dogs, highlighting the media industry’s tense reaction to the emergence of such technology.

Eline van der Velden, founder and CEO of Particle6, personally introduced the project to the audience. According to her, a 15-person team worked on Tilly, requiring over 2,000 creative iterations and the integration of Sequoia pipelines—covering everything from script and visual generation to voice and behavior synthesis. Van der Velden emphasized that Europe and the UK cannot compete with the US and China in the foundational AI model “arms race,” which is why Particle6 is betting on the creative application of existing technologies within the entertainment industry.

The digital actress’s appearance sparked fierce debate. Conference host Sasha Twining raised the most pressing concerns: the risk of widespread job losses for real actors and the devaluation of the acting craft. In response, the head of Particle6 stated that the advance of neural networks is inevitable and that local market bans are futile. However, she firmly advocated for the ethical use of AI, rejecting the creation of digital clones of living people without their explicit consent and fair compensation.

Van der Velden also addressed environmental concerns, noting developer calculations that fully digital content creation reduces carbon footprints and water usage by 99% compared to traditional filmmaking. This week, Tilly Norwood will launch a three-day public livestream to interact directly with audiences. Particle6’s 2027 roadmap includes the release of two feature films whose digital characters will conduct their own press tours and give interviews.