There’s now an AI talent studio for “hyperreal digital stars,” and Hollywood isn’t happy

Are characters generated with AI models eligible for agency representation? According to Eline Van Der Velden, the answer is a resounding yes.

Van Der Velden, the Founder and CEO of AI production studio Particle6, is launching a new venture called Xicoia. When it debuts at the Zurich Film Festival, Xicoia will look to usher in a new era of AI-generated culture by building a roster of dynamic, personable genAI creators.

The first name under the Xicoia banner is Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated “actress”  who has set up shop on platforms like Instagram. Norwood’s likeness and personality were developed through Particle6 and its proprietary DeepFame engine, and Van Der Velden’s mission is to work characters like Norwood into film, TV, and digital productions.

In a sense, Xicoia resembles VTuber agencies like Nijisanji and hololive, in that it is a form of real-world representation for characters who are purely virtual (and, in many cases, carefully crafted by companies like Particle6). But while VTubers are controlled by humans, Xicoia’s characters are fully autonomous.

It’s hard to say whether a business like this presents more opportunities or philosophical quandries. On the positive side, Xicoia will be able to build diverse characters to meet the specific needs of directors, brands, and studios. There are also conversations between the new firm and “several Hollywood stars who wish to appear on screen as their younger or current selves,” according to Deadline.

The idea that AI-generated characters can and should benefit from agency backing is bound to be controversial. Skeptics will ask how Xicoia will affect the working (human) actors who are already concerned about AI’s encroachment into the entertainment industry

. There’s also the question of compensation; if a character like Tilly Norwood was created using an AI model that was trained on human appearances, do those inspirational figures deserve a cut of her earnings? Since the AI industry still hasn’t figured out a definitive solution to the problem of unauthorized training, Van Der Velden might be jumping the gun a bit with her new venture.

There’s definitely no room for an AI talent wing inside the halls of traditional agencies, and Hollywood’s response to Tilly Norwood shows why: If the WMEs and CAAs of the world embraced Van Der Velden’s idea, their human clients would likely depart en masse. In a response to the Xicoia announcement, SAG-AFTRA stated that it is “opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics,” and actors like Emily Blunt and Whoopi Goldberg have expressed similar sentiments

To Van Der Velden, generative AI is a “new paintbrush” for the next generation of artists. “I hope we can welcome AI as part of the wider artistic family: one more way to express ourselves, alongside theatre, film, painting, music, and countless others,” Van Der Velden wrote on Instagram. “When we celebrate all forms of creativity, we open doors to new voices, new stories, and new ways of connecting with each other.”

If that philosophy of art finds widespread acceptance, Xicoia will be well positioned to build a leading roster of AI characters. The response to Van Der Velden’s new company shows that the old guard won’t be easily swayed, no matter how many gigs Tilly Norwood books.