What a Hollywood AI actor can teach CEOs about the future of work

Tilly Norwood, a fully AI-created actor, has become the centre of a heated debate in Hollywood after her creator revealed that talent agents were interested in representing her.

The actors’ union responded swiftly, warning that Tilly was trained on the work of countless performers without their consent or compensation. It also reminded producers that hiring her would involve dealing with the union.

The episode highlights two key lessons for business leaders in any industry. First, never assume a technology’s current limitations will remain its inherent limitations. Some commentators, including Whoopi Goldberg, have argued that AI actors pose little threat because their physical movements still appear noticeably artificial.

Yet history shows that early limitations often disappear over time. Once-dismissed technologies like machine translation and chess software have since far surpassed human abilities. Similarly, AI-generated performers may eventually become indistinguishable from human actors.

The second lesson concerns human behaviour. People are often irrational; their preferences can upend even the most carefully planned strategies. Producers avoided publicising actors’ names in Hollywood’s early years to maintain control.

Audiences, however, demanded to know everything about the stars they admired, forcing studios to adapt. This human attachment created the star system that shaped the industry. Whether audiences will embrace AI performers like Tilly remains uncertain, but cultural and emotional factors will play a decisive role.

Hollywood offers a high-profile glimpse of the challenges and opportunities of advanced AI. As other sectors face similar disruptions, business leaders may find that technology alone does not determine outcomes.

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