It’s Strange

In a trend anyone with half a brain could have predicted, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is creating life-like movie actors which could actually replace current actors. In an article from CBSnews.com we read about one that is causing quite a stir:

Like thousands of actors, Tilly Norwood is looking for a Hollywood agent. Her greatest role? Pretending to be human.

And if you think this is just a publicity stunt, think again:

That's because Tilly Norwood is a 100% AI-generated product, created by Dutch producer and comedian Eline Van der Velden, founder of a company named Xicoia, which bills itself as the world's first artificial intelligence talent studio. Velden pitches her AI creation as the next Scarlett Johansson, and says there are several agents vying to represent it, CBS News' Jo Ling Kent reported recently.

And Hollywood is not happy:

Since Velden launched the digital character's prospective career, Tilly Norwood has been all the talk in Hollywood. But not in a good way. Guilds, actors and filmmakers have met the Xicoia product with an immediate wave of backlash, protesting that artificial intelligence should not have a starring role in the acting profession. In a statement Tuesday, the Screen Actors Guild said that "creativity is, and should remain, human-centered."

"To be clear, '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 — without permission or compensation," the guild said. "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."

Which sounds good, but don’t we already do that with animated movies? To be sure humans provided the voices and animators created the images, but isn’t AI created by humans, too?

Nice Try

A current actor sounds off on the kerfuffle:

Actor Sean Astin, who starred in "Lord of the Rings" and "The Goonies," and was recently elected president of SAG-AFTRA, also emphasized how AI actors are artificial constructs trained off of work by real performers.

"You're made up of stuff that doesn't belong to you," he told CBS News. "Let's just make sure that credit is given where credit is due."

Still Tilly’s creator thinks her creation is onto to something:

Van der Velden, who is also the founder of the AI production studio Particle6, promoted Tilly Norwood last month at the Zurich Summit, the industry sidebar of the Zurich Film Festival. It was there that she said talent agencies were circling Norwood and that she expected to soon announce a signing.

If true, this could be a watershed moment for acting, one that one agent is hoping will not prosper:

Many in Hollywood hope that never happens.

"Any talent agency that engages in this should be boycotted by all guilds," wrote Natasha Lyonne on Instagram. The "Russian Doll" star is directing a feature titled "Uncanny Valley" that pledges to use "ethical" artificial intelligence in combination with traditional filmmaking techniques. "Deeply misguided & totally disturbed," she added. "Not the way. Not the vibe. Not the use."

Is Lyonne like the pot calling the kettle black? Isn’t she and others already using this technology? We could debate the differences and as part of the most recent actors union contract it was hotly debated as seen in the safeguards the agreement put in place as of 2023.

Not The First Time

I’m not promoting you see this movie, but it highlights the blurring of lines with AI:

But there have been numerous controversies over the use of AI in acting. The Oscar-winning 2024 film "The Brutalist" used artificial intelligence for Hungarian dialogue spoken by Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones' characters, the revelation of which prompted debate in the industry.

Tilly’s creator addressed the controversy, though:

Van der Velden responded to the stir around Tilly Norwood on Instagram.

"To those who have expressed anger over the creation of my AI character, Tilly Norwood, she is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work — a piece of art," Van der Velden said on Sunday. "Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity."

She thinks that there is a place for such creations:

Van der Velden didn't respond to interview requests Tuesday. In her post, she argued that AI characters should be judged as their own genre.

"Creating Tilly has been, for me, an act of imagination and craftsmanship, not unlike drawing a character, writing a role or shaping a performance," she added. "It takes time, skill and iteration to bring such a character to life."

Hollywood and its many workers are circling the wagon in the hopes they won’t be replaced by AI. And AI isn’t just affecting them. It’s a source of concern for all industries. Still social media already has AI generated accounts with influencers that are boldly not real people, Tilly included:

That statement was also shared on Tilly Norwood's own Instagram account. Posts include photos of the creation drinking coffee, shopping for clothes and preparing for various projects. As of Tuesday, the account had more than 33,000 followers.

Astin still thinks AI can’t ever replace

Asked what human actors bring to a performance that AI can't, Astin said "authenticity," adding, "You can fall in love. Your parents can die. You can, you can be in some terrifying situation. The sum of all of our emotional experiences in our life, artificial intelligence can approximate it — it is not real."

AI In Bible Prophecy

By doing these miracles, he was deceiving people everywhere. He could do these marvelous things whenever the first Creature was there to watch him. And he ordered the people of the world to make a great statue of the first Creature, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. 15 He was permitted to give breath to this statue and even make it speak! Then the statue ordered that anyone refusing to worship it must die! (Rev 13:14-15, TLB)

These verses point to a time in the future when a figure will come on to the scene that will be more than an animated statue. Much more. Up until modern times the how of this scenario was debated. But now we can clearly see the way it can happens. For centuries, theologians debated how an image could “speak” and exercise enforcement power. AI offers a literal, modern explanation:

  • Artificial Intelligence systems now generate speech, make decisions, and enforce compliance (through surveillance, digital ID, and censorship).
  • AI-powered avatars, holograms, and humanoids could realistically serve as a “living image” representing the Antichrist’s authority globally.
  • “Gives life” could reference infusing intelligence or agency into a created form — precisely what AI does: it animates lifeless data.

This interpretation is not allegorical - it’s technically plausible for the first time in human history. It’s crazy to see it that way, but it explains how the man of sin can be killed and resurrected. Add in the power of the strong delusion mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:9–11 and Matthew 24:24 and you have the perfect recipe for even those who know the Bible to be deceived.

Bigger Than Just An Image

Consider that the Tribulation is Satan’s one and only time when God allows him to mock Him by playing God. For centuries, Bible students have wondered how the world described in the book of Revelation could ever become possible - a world where one power governs all nations, where buying and selling are controlled, where an image somehow comes to life and speaks with authority. For the first time in history, the technology to make that world function now exists. Imagine a world where every transaction, every movement, every word is monitored by unseen eyes - not human eyes, but intelligent systems learning everything about everyone. AI already powers global finance, controls facial recognition networks, and decides who gets access to resources. In Revelation, John saw a day when no one could “buy or sell” without the mark of allegiance to the Beast. Today, that prophecy no longer sounds symbolic - it sounds operational. This AI age also offers something eerily divine - false omniscience. What only God could once do, machines now imitate: knowing where everyone is, predicting what they will do, analyzing thoughts and emotions through data. Revelation 13 describes a Beast system with global insight and total reach - an all-seeing counterfeit of God’s omniscience. And behind it all is deception. Paul warned in 2 Thessalonians 2 that the Antichrist would come “with all power, signs, and lying wonders.” Deepfakes, AI-generated miracles, and synthetic realities can now fabricate visions so convincing that even the elect might be deceived if possible. So, when we read the old prophecies today, they no longer feel distant or metaphorical. The scaffolding of Revelation’s system - global control, digital worship, synthetic life, human-machine fusion, and false omniscience - is rising around us in plain sight. AI may not be the Beast, but it’s building the network that Beast will rule through. It’s the digital stage being set for the final act. Strange as it may seem it could really be Tilly Norwood today, the Antichrist tomorrow. I certainly don’t intend to be around in person for how this plays out and you shouldn’t either. But we can plausibly witness to others about the accuracy of Bible prophecy with what we know now about technology.