Maybe you remember Tilly Norwooda fully AI-generated “actress” character that was unveiled last summer to significant industry backlash.

Well, get ready for more. Xicoia, an AI talent studio founded by the British production company behind Tilly, recently announced that it is preparing to unveil a full “Tillyverse” later this year.

The plan was to create an entire digital universe for Tilly Norwood to inhabit”compelling narrative arc“which will include everything from “his humor, daily life and career choices to how he interacts with fans on various platforms,” ​​said CEO Eline Van der Velden in a press release. The company is also working on opening a set of new AI characters to accompany him.

Xicoia brought in Mark Whelan from Amazon Prime Video to lead the charge, calling it the company’s first major hire. At Prime, Whelan leads social strategy for several European shows such as Clarkson’s Farm and The Grand Tour, according to The deadline. At Xicoia, Whelan will also oversee “the creation of specialized AI talent commissioned by third parties,” the company said, “putting Xicoia at the forefront of the rapidly evolving AI entertainment economy.”

“A few short months after Tilly was unveiled to the world, this appointment now heralds a period of rapid acceleration. Xicoia is not just experimenting with AI talent – it is building IP at scale and changing how talent is created, developed and experienced in the AI ​​era,” the company said in the press release.

Tilly was the rage in all corners of the industry when “she” debuted last summer and creator Eline Van der Velden said she was talking to talent agencies who wanted to sign Tilly. So far, the AI ​​character has not been signed by any talent agency, but Van der Velden told The deadline in November that “there are many agencies interested.”

The actors’ union SAG-AFTRA released a statement at the time saying that Tilly Norwood was “a character created by a computer program trained on the work of countless professional performers—without permission or compensation.”

Early last month, the union began revising its contract, and as of Monday, at least, was deep into negotiations, according to union president Sean Astin. The current contract is set to expire on June 30, and it is signed compliance with historic Hollywood strikes in 2023. One of the key The issues of disagreement that led to the 2023 strike was the use of AI in the film. According to reportsAI is again a major topic of discussion at this time.

The AI ​​industry has made great leaps in video and image creation since 2023, from the viral product launched by Google. Nano Banana ProIt’s ByteDance Seeddance 2.0and Sora at OpenAI in a fully AI-generated short film that is about to get a national theatrical run by AMC this month, until the chain backed down after criticism.

It will be interesting to see if AI developments and the expansion of the “Tillyverse” will lead to union contract renegotiations, not only for SAG-AFTRA but for all of Hollywood, as the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild are also preparing to renegotiate contracts in the next few months.