Why AI Tilly Will Be the Next Breakout Superstar

Tilly Norwood

Back in the late 80s and early 90s I was introduced to cyberpunk, a genre of literary science fiction popularized by William Gibson. I found his book Mona Lisa Overdrive, the third in his Sprawl Trilogy, to be gripping on several levels. One of the characters is an internationally famous virtual reality star. And somehow she was able to enter the matrix. When I read the AI news today, oh boy, how quickly the storyline, concepts and imagery in Gibson's MLO popped into my head.

The latest news, according to CNN, features an actress named Tilly Norwood who has gained international fame since her appearance and activities on social media. Many in Hollywood, though, are apoplectic because she is not an actress at all. She's been generated by AI and some in the Screen Actors Guild see her as a threat.

Her creator is Eline Van Der Velden, founder of the AI startup Particle6. (Very cool company name.)

Tilly has more than 36,000 followers since taking up residence on Instagram this past February. She's not just a pretty face but rather the world's first AI actress, albeit synthetically composed of algorithms, not jeans genes.

She was unveiled at the Zurich Film Festival, and she's already got talent agents circling like sharks at a premiere afterparty. Tilly's creator envisions her as the ultimate multitasker—fighting monsters, dodging explosions, and nabbing Oscars in 20 seconds flat. But can this digital darling really eclipse Hollywood's A-listers? We'll see, I suppose. Right now it's a perfect storm of innovation, infamy, and investor frenzy.

First off, Tilly's pioneering narrative is pure catnip for the zeitgeist. As the inaugural AI actress in history, she's not merely a character; she's a milestone. She's even been tokenized as a memecoin ($TILLY) on the Solana blockchain. It's a "first-ever" badge that fuses AI's tech meta with meme coin virality and Hollywood's red-carpet allure, forming a FOMO golden triangle. If this sounds over-the-top, you're right, it is. In short, Particle6 is working all the angles. The bitcoin and memeworld are contributing to the vaue of the Tilly Norwood brand.

Then there's the media maelstrom. Deadline broke the story, igniting a global blaze—Variety, ScreenRant, MovieWeb, even CNN (where I saw the story) piled on, dissecting her "screen tests" and agent buzz. Her Zurich debut? Instant prestige. But the real rocket fuel has been the backlash bonfire. SAG-AFTRA slammed her as a "computer program trained on stolen performances," devoid of emotion or life experience. Stars like Sophie Turner ("Wow... no thanks"), Whoopi Goldberg, and Mara Wilson unleashed fury: "You didn’t make this. Hundreds of real workers... made this." 

Twitter/X erupted in an ethical Armageddon. Bad press? It's the best kind—controversy is free marketing, turning Tilly into a viral villain-hero. As Van Der Velden quips, she's "a piece of art," not a replacement, but a genre unto herself. Drama this juicy doesn't fade; it franchises.

Efforts to ban the AI actress will only generate more interest. Look at the banned books lists and you'll see that their readerships grow, not diminish. And the furor over   American Eagle's "Sydney Sweenie Has Great Jeans" campaign was absurdly insane as the company's sales went through the roof and their shareholders laughed all the way to the bank.

Evidently sales of the memecoin are also (for now) going through the roof. Holders aren't just buying a coin; they're betting on the AI entertainment uprising, where digital divas disrupt unions and box offices. $TILLY metrics scream momentum—20,000 transactions in 24 hours, with balanced buys signaling staying power. Is it simply hype? Or will it be a case study in story-driven pumps, blending crypto's edge with mainstream allure.*

OK, so where does Tilly fit into the grand scheme of things? I myself see a peachy place for her in marketing. Back in the Fifties the Leo Burnett ad agency solved a problem that marketers had then and still have today. When companies hire spokespersons to represent their brands, what happens when the actor or celebrity "goes bad." Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps are contemporary examples of problem behavior that cost them sponsorships. The Burnett team evaded these risks by creator characters who would permanently stay out of trouble, like Tony the Tiger, the Jolly Green Giant, and the Marlboro Man. There might be a rground-breaking role for Tilly Norwood in this realm. And lest she gets overbooked, she can bring some of her friends along. 

Related

Tilly Walks the Red Carpet Like No Other

*The $TILLY memecoin is not associated with Particle6 or Tilly herself. It is a speculative pump for the fun of it... Research it on Google or Grok@X.com

Four ChatGPT Stories with Implications for All

AI generated art  based on 
Double D artwork by e.

ChatGPT, the language model chatbot developed by OpenAI, continues to create quite a stir. It is also a work in progress. That is, it uses human feedback (feedback from users) as a means of learning. Because it is trained by data from humans, it has been prone to reflect our human biases. 

In addition to being biased, ChatGPT is also inaccurate at times. It is not connected to the Internet and was trained only up till 2021. Therefore, it can actually get its facts wrong as when I recently asked he/she/it to tell me about the Duluth music scene and the best night spots to hear music. One of the places it suggested had been out of business for a couple years. In other words, verify accuracy or you may end up passing along falsehoods.

The number of people experimenting with ChatGPT is quite remarkable. There were more than one billion visits to the website in February alone. That's pretty amazing since this was only launched in November 2022.

Here are some comparisons to help put ChatGPTs growth into perspective, the amount of time it took to reach one million users:

Netflix: 3.5 years
Spotify:  5 months
Instagram: 2 months
Facebook: 10 months
ChatGPT: 5 days*

Here are a few recent stories that caught my eye. I found the last one especially interesting in light of the note above that ChatGPT is inaccurate at times. 

One story is about the bot's ability to pass a medical exam with flying colors. I am guessing it could also pass the bar with flying colors as well. Will ChatGPT be able to offer legal advice to a team of attorneys hired to defend ChatGPT in the defamation case below.

* * *     

ChatGPT AI lists jobs it can do better than humans 

as millions could be put out of work

https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/chatgpt-ai-lists-jobs-it-can-do-better-humans-millions-could-be-put-out-work

OpenAI’s wildly popular chatbot, ChatGPT, is expected to replace 4.8 million U.S. jobs, according to a new report.

Outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas recently asked ChatGPT’s bot a series of questions, including "What jobs can ChatGPT replace?" and in what fields the bot would be most capable of working, according to a press release provided to Fox News Digital. 

RELATED: Surviving AI by Calum Chace Is a Must Read for Those Who Plan to Be Here in the Future

AI could go 'Terminator,' gain upper hand over humans 

in Darwinian rules of evolution, report warns

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/ai-could-go-terminator-gain-upper-hand-over-humans-in-darwinian-rules-of-evolution-expert-warns

Artificial intelligence could gain the upper hand over humanity and pose "catastrophic" risks under the Darwinian rules of evolution, a new report warns.

The newest version of ChatGPT passed 

the US medical licensing exam with flying colors 

and diagnosed a 1 in 100,000 condition in seconds

https://www.insider.com/chatgpt-passes-medical-exam-diagnoses-rare-condition-2023-4

A doctor and Harvard computer scientist says GPT-4 has better clinical judgment than "many doctors." 

Australian mayor readies world's first defamation lawsuit 

over ChatGPT content

https://www.reuters.com/technology/australian-mayor-readies-worlds-first-defamation-lawsuit-over-chatgpt-content-2023-04-05/

SYDNEY, April 5 (Reuters) - A regional Australian mayor said he may sue OpenAI if it does not correct ChatGPT's false claims that he had served time in prison for bribery, in what would be the first defamation lawsuit against the automated text service.

Brian Hood, who was elected mayor of Hepburn Shire, 120km (75 miles) northwest of Melbourne, last November, became concerned about his reputation when members of the public told him ChatGPT had falsely named him as a guilty party in a foreign bribery scandal involving a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia in the early 2000s.

* * *  

*Source: https://nerdynav.com/chatgpt-statistics/

More Examples of AI-generated Versions of My Own Original Paintings

This is a continuation of yesterday's post in which I showed the various ways one of my paintings had been interpreted by DreamAI.

Firebird (original painting)

Firebird Suite (AI collaboration)

Apache Brave (original)

The color scheme is there, but in the original 

he is looking to his left, and in the AI version 

he is looking to his right, a curious alteration.

The Pioneer (original)

AI collaboration using the "Floral" art style.

My Back Pages. 2"x 2" original painting

My Back Pages -- Flora Style

My Back Pages (Steampunk Style)

Amanda -- 12"x 24"

Amanda-esque AI interpretation of my painting.

Amanda -- DreamAI collaboration in comix style

The Boxer -- Acrylic on Illustration Board

DreamAI collaboration.

Dylan Received the Medal of Freedom -- Acrylic on Canvas

DreamAI rendition, Dylan receiving the Medal of Freedom

* * * * *

Nearly all of my art is available for lease or purchase. You can see more at my Many Faces of Ennyman site and on my Instagram page.

Most Popular Blog Posts of 2021 at Ennyman's Territory--Chiefly Dylan, Though Other Themes Emerged

County commissioners made a 
proclamation on Dylan's 80th birthday.
By year's end he was on tour again.

It's that time of year again, a time for looking back at the year now past in order to prepare for the year ahead. Once again, the Grateful Dead have given us a few lines to describe our mutual experience of these past two years. I'll select this one: "What a long strange trip it's been." 

Clint Eastwood's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly comes to mind as well. As regards Ennyman's Territory....

The Good: I didn't quit at the end of 2020 when I became depressed about it all I was greatly encouraged by a few reader friends who seemed surprised that I would even consider quitting. 

Also in the "Good" category... the blog passed the 3 million pageviews milestone in November. Thank you. You (readers) are the reason I keep trying to produce content that is interesting, thought-provoking or relevant. 

The Bad: These are intertwined. This spring I found myself in a predicament. Facebook began banning my blog URL so that I could no longer share my blog content there. The stated reason: violation of community standards. When I dug into this and attempted to get a clarification, I could not reach a human being, but did get an explanation. Supposedly, the Facebook "content police" said I was a Bot, the implication being that because I posted regularly every day since 2007 I must be a machine. 

Two days later I was also banned on Instagram, which is owned by FB. On both Facebook and Instagram I could still read others' posts, but on Instagram I was unable to "like" the artwork of the artists I followed there, nor could I post any of my own photos.

The Instagram situation resolved itself in about six to eight weeks, but Facebook was still a thorn. It was suggested I go to the forums on Facebook and take up my case there. Over a period of a month I made a couple attempts to interact with a Facebook human, and by summer had a breakthrough. A Facebook staffer responded to my "problem" and said my blog links were being blocked because either (a) I was perceived as a spammer, or (b) someone reported me. 

When I pursued this so as to learn who made the accusation or why, the person replied, "This discussion is closed."  

The Ugly: Well, since 2010 a primary subject for my blog content had been the local Twin Ports art scene. Few, if any, of the artists who followed my blog on Facebook were also followers on Twitter. Because the people I wanted to reach through my blog were not accessible, my motivation was undercut. Incentives matter, and I lost my motivation to go over-the-top to cover what was happening. 

In truth, two years of pandemic has caused a very definite curtailment of art openings and events... Artists are still making art, and sharing on social media, but it is a very different social experience from the evolving scene of the past dozen years.

The Workaround: For what it's worth, this fall I shut down my ennyman.com blog and created a springboard so that when I post ennyman.com on Facebook, the reader gets forward to the most recent blog post at Ennyman's Territory. It's clumsy, but it works. (Thank you, Cirina.)

Alas, it's time for the Ten Most Popular Blog Posts of 2021 at Ennyman's Territory. Drumroll please........

10

Artists Take to the Streets... To Make Snow Sculptures. Plus a Link to Art in February

9

Michael Lewis' Tribute to Coach Fitz

8

San Francisco's School Renaming Spree Would Be Funny If They Weren't Serious

7

French Artist Claude-Angèle Boni Explains Two Dylan-Inspired Treasures

6

Bob Dylan's Shadow Kingdom: Swoons for Many, a Letdown for a Few

5

Official Poster and Finalized Schedule for Duluth Dylan Fest 2021

4

Dylan On Loneliness: References A-Plenty, Sorrows Run Deep

3

Mr. Dylan Spent Some Time Watching the River Flow During the Pandemic (Milwaukee Concert Review & More)

2

Dylan Lines in 4/4 Time: A Trivia Contest for the Super Fans

1

Winter Dance Party: 62 Years Ago Today Bob Dylan Saw Buddy Holly Here at The Historic Duluth Armory

The Armory board had something to shout about in 2021.
After 20 years of preparations, the dream of a renovation
took another step forward. Story here.

Thank you to everyone who has visited these past 14 years... 

May your 2022 be our best year ever.

I Violated Community Standards -- Am I Doomed?

Very strange. Years ago I was encouraged to set up a "business account" on Facebook for Ennyman's Territory. The only thing it did (once set up) was to have Facebook constantly remind me I would have more traffic if I advertised (i.e. Paid Facebook Money). I never "pushed" the page to be liked, but have a few followers even though I do seldom post there.

Instead, each day after publishing my post for the day I would share on Facebook and Tweet it. I have a modest following on FB and 4K+ Twitter followers, so the ritual of writing and then sharing on these social media platforms worked for me. Until this happened about a month ago:

>>>>People who recently visited your page, Ennyman's Territory, recommended changes to the information on your page.<<<<<

This is so bizarre that it defies comprehension, and I have been unable to find a human being at Facebook who can help me beyond their Bots who now tell me I am Spamming.

Is it spamming to write something once a day and share it? I don't put it on everyone else's wall. That would be spamming. I just put it on my own, or used to

Did someone really complain? Or was it an A.I. Terminator that flagged me.

Then I received these notes from Michael Johnson and Lois Sandy Marshall:

Michael John

Yup, I just confirmed that facebook won't let anyone go to your blog by clicking the link on your Ennyman's Territory page, nor would they let me post the link here as a comment. I clicked through their reasons 'why' and found they said it violated the Community Standards / rules against spam. I contested the decision and now it sits a couple posts above this one with a red oval around it (not sure if anyone can see that but me).

Lois Sandy Marshall

Well, cousin, I tried to post your 3/18/21 blog on my own page. Here is what I got:

This URL goes against our Community Standards on spam:

pioneerproductions.blogspot dot com

I registered a disagree with the decision. (BTW, I can post your blog by using the word "dot" instead of . in your URL.)

So it was not the action of posting my blog daily, but Ennyman's Territory itself that was the problem, the trouble, and I the despicable violator of community standards, ostracized like a mad cur, a slimy swamp rat, scaly cold-blooded reptile, a poisonous pillock, gorbellied miscreant, a rank compound of odious smells from a pile of plague sores....

OK, methinks I got carried away.

What happened next surprised me even more. I AM UNABLE TO LIKE anyone's posts on Instagram. I have been following a number of local and international artists, really enjoying the creativity and letting them know by tapping on the Heart.

Every time I attempt to "Like" by touching the Heart icon, I get this message:

Try Again Later

We restrict certain activity to protect our community.

Well, it's obvious what's happening on Instagram. Facebook owns Instagram, and once flagged as a troublemaker on Facebook, it was only a matter of time before I was handcuffed on Instagram. It only took roughly a week, if that.

Funny thing is, I can still post photos and share on Instagram. Why can't I interact with people there? I am isolated... kicked off the island.

I still like to look, though without a handshake it feels like I'm just a lurker. So be it.

Asher's Story: A Young Pittsburgh Entrepreneur's "Wild Soda" Business and Fledgling Etsy Store

Asher

From my earliest youth I have been a fan of creativity in all its forms. From drawing pictures to conceiving halloween costumes to story telling, the creative spirit is part of our nature. Entrepreneurialism isn't just about the business of making money. It is often simply another expression of the creative urge. 

I was probably around 10 when my brother and I sold home made popsicles that we made with Kool-aid back in Maple Heights. I was probably trying to add to my allowance money so I could buy baseball cards, Civil War cards or a model airplane. Most of my my regular allowance (a quarter a week) went to Mad magazines and Famous Monsters of Filmland mags.

When a long time friend of ours told me about the entrepreneurial activities of his grandsons, my interest was stirred. I asked what he's selling and he told me about a product called "Wild Soda" as well as T-shorts and T-tubes. 

Asher Deming is 12 and he's already got an Etsy store titled TheMegAndFreddieCo. The headline on his page reads, "I love making unique functional eco friendly items for others to enjoy." With the coronavirus he has had more time on his hands and rather than being idle he's been making things to sell.  

According to his Etsy page Asher's been sewing as long as he can remember. First it was pillows and then clothing. Eventually he began making stuffed animals and clothing for his nephews. 

Here are some notes from an interview we did via email.

EN: What products do you make and sell?

Asher: We sell t-shorts, t-tubes, and Wild Soda, with more products coming soon.

EN: Where did the idea of going into business come from?

Asher: I got the idea from a last minute Birthday gift. I randomly sewed a “pillow” out of a t-shirt, to make for my little cousin, which looked much like shorts, and they just happened to fit.

After that first pair of t-shorts my mom asked her "buy nothing" Facebook group for t-shirts we could upcycle. Then we made a lot more t-shorts, and a new product we call a t-tube, which is supposed to be something like a neck gaiter. 

I had also been on Pinterest looking at recipes for ‘wild soda’ which we figured out was pretty easy to make. So we got a bunch of reusable mason jars for a “soda club.” Every week our members are delivered a new flavor of wild soda.

EN: What prompted you to get into recycling and upcycling?

Asher: I understand that climate change and the environment is getting worse, with an imminent threat of climate disasters like pandemics, and wildfires as we have seen this year. So we try to make our products as environmentally friendly as possible.

EN: What is “Wild Soda”?

Asher: Wild Soda is what naturally sparkly fermented soda is called. It doesn’t taste real fermented, it just tastes like sparkling tea.

EN: Can you elaborate on how the Soda Club works? How much does it cost? What makes it unique? What gave you the idea to go with a Club versus just selling the drinks individually?

Asher: We deliver a unique drink weekly to neighbors doorsteps and reuse the bottles from week to week. If people don't live close enough, they pick up the drinks.

Isaiah Deming: Ultra-reliable Key Counterpart

EN: How does your younger brother Isaiah help with the business? 

Asher: My brother is the only other paid employee,. He feeds the ginger bugs (the fermented thing that makes wild soda fizzy) and he sometimes helps deliver.

EN: Do you have a favorite flavor of Wild Soda?

Asher: I like orange Wild Soda.

* * * *

To learn more, and follow the evolution of their young enterprise visit TheMegAndFreddieCo on Etsy.
You can also follow them on @megandfreddieco on Instagram.

* * * *

For the record, Meg and Freddie are their pups.

Asher Deming: On the forefront of the Upcycling Revolution

Dylan Delivers His Latest Salvo to the World, and a Nod to Little Richard

It's the Fifties all over again. Film noir, Dylan style.

When "Murder Most Foul" was ascended on the Twitter-stream six weeks ago, it was a lightning bolt out of the blue that sizzled and universally energized every Dylan fan. The hive was buzzing. What does it mean? Not just the song, but the release of an original song, the first after eight years.

Then the needle dropped on "I Am Multitudes" a few weeks later and we wondered... what if.

And so, the answer came with this week's release of yet a third, "False Prophet," and the announcement that a new album had been produced, to become available June 19. The title of the new album release is Rough and Rowdy Ways, which sounds just like what a new Dylan album title might sound like.

When Tempest, his stellar 2012 album, came out, the big talking point seemed to be whether this was going to be his last album of original material, just as Shakespeare's last play wore the title Tempest. It made for a great story, much guessing and perpetual chatter. And now that the world is disrupted and distracted, dazed and confused by the global pandemic, Dylan's time has come again to answer the question Dylan fans everywhere had been asking. The answer is yes.

(The other question many are asking is, when will we see Chronicles, Volume Two?)

Yes, I placed my pre-order. Have you placed yours?

The selection of June 19 may strike some as unusual until it gets pointed out that this is Emancipation Day, the day the last slaves were notified that they were free. Dylan's writing has always been a multi-layered, cascade of symbols, so no surprise here.

* * * *
R.I.P. Little Richard

It can't pass without a comment that the announcement of this new song and album release nearly coincides withe the passing of Little Richard less than 24 hours later, a major influence on the young Bobby Zimmerman. The charismatic showman shook the airwaves and set Bob's imagination whirling as regards what's really possible on the keyboards.

Mid-afternoon. Saturday Bob, himself, tweeted this news:
I just heard the news about Little Richard and I’m so grieved. He was my shining star and guiding light back when I was only a little boy. His was the original spirit that moved me to do everything I would do.

and more...

I played some shows with him in Europe in the early nineties and got to hang out in his dressing room a lot. He was always generous, kind and humble. And still dynamite as a performer and a musician and you could still learn plenty from him And...

followed by...

In his presence he was always the same Little Richard that I first heard and was awed by growing up and I always was the same little boy. Of course he’ll live forever. But it’s like a part of your life is gone.


* * * *
What's wild is that Dylan is doing the crossover into Instagram as well, posting this there as well:

What are you lookin’ at - there’s nothing to see.

Yeah, nothing to see. Fat chance.

And.... finally, again from Instagram:

Another day without end - another ship going out
Another day of anger - bitterness and doubt
I know how it happened - I saw it begin
I opened my heart to the world and the world came in

Tell it like it is, Bob. Tell it like it is.

Related Links
Dylan Dishes Up A New Meal with a Feast of References: Murder Most Foul
Dylan Indeed Contains Multitudes
Little Richard Remembered by Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, Chuck D, Spike Lee, Many More
Who's Narrating Bob Dylan's Prophetic New Song--Satan, God or Dylan Himself