Tilly Norwood, the “AI actress,” has sparked a firestorm of controversy at Chapman University’s Dodge College, the film school she formed stranger things creators the Duffer brothers.
His scheduled talk earlier this month generated nearly 1,300 angry comments from students and alumni.
Many called the event “disgusting and irresponsible” and accused the school of pushing “AI garbage.”
The backlash deepened when Dodge Dean Stephen Galloway announced a new “innovative filmmaker challenge,” offering $40,000 in grants for student projects that incorporate AI.
While the initiative was presented as a way to encourage originality and experimentation, critics argued that it was “spitting in the face of the industry” and turning a deaf ear to the anxieties of young filmmakers worried about job losses.
Students expressed frustration that incentivizing machine-generated work undermines collaboration and creativity.
according to Deadlinea senior documentary film student said, “It’s frustrating to see time, energy, and finances invested in something that doesn’t foster creativity.”
Others recalled a previous scandal when the university used AI to enhance campus images instead of turning to its own animation students.
Chapman University defended its approach, saying it is taking a “thoughtful and deliberate” stance on AI, forming cross-functional groups and surveying faculty and students to guide policy.
The school emphasized that while AI is part of modern society, “nothing can match the creativity and ingenuity of the human spirit.”
Still, skepticism persists.
As a journalism student summarized in The Panther newspaper: “Students [are] “I wonder if the school’s intentions in incorporating AI come from a genuine motivation towards innovation in the film industry, or if they are pushing a different agenda based on shock value in an attempt to stimulate debate.”
