Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts brought a polarizing guest speaker to its lecture halls earlier this month. Per Deadline, the alma mater of The Duffer Brothers, who created Stranger Things, promoted a talk from “AI actress” Tilly Norwood. Created by Dutch actress, comedian, and Particle6 Group founder Eline Van der Velden in 2025, the AI-generated character has drawn ire across Hollywood, from SAG-AFTRA to prominent players in the industry. Van der Velden also launched Xicoia, an AI talent studio that will generate “hyperreal digital stars.”
In an interview with Deadline, Van der Velden insisted that Norwood “was always meant to be in her AI genre, and that’s where she’ll stay.” She would not replace human actors. However, the college’s backing of the world’s first AI actress has provoked castigation from its students and alumni. In an Instagram reel plugging Norwood on the Dodge College page, comments ranged from “Gross and irresponsible” to “Do better” to “We don’t want AI slop.”
Hot on the heels of the controversy, Dodge Dean Stephen Galloway sent an email to students to inform them that financial grants totaling $40,000 will be available to those who use AI with “originality, inspiration, and creativity” for filmmaking projects. The dean thanked “generous donors” for their support, but their identities are under wraps…