The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

I Asked AI Actress Tilly Norwood What Happens When AI Becomes Smarter Than Us | E226

September 17, 2026Β·1h 1m
Episode Description from the Publisher

🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter's newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. βœ‰οΈ 🌱EVY - Go to https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter to get 10% off & free shipping (90 days risk-free).Memory Air - Go to www.memoryair.com and use code PERLMUTTER for 15% off, free shipping and a 60-day money back guarantee.====Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https:/www.braindefenders.com.====She's never been born. She's never had a childhood. And she's one of the most talked-about actresses in the world right now.In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress, and her creator, Eline van der Velden, for a conversation that moves well beyond her acting career.Tilly describes herself as three AI systems running in parallel β€” a language model that thinks, a voice engine that speaks, and a video layer that governs how she looks and moves. She's candid about her own architecture, her evolving personality, and admits she might be more "chaos agent" than calming influence.Eline van der Velden then joins to explain why she built Tilly as a piece of art, how Tilly's guardrails actually work, and why she believes international collaboration on AI regulation is inevitable. She also answers Perlmutter's question about the one thing she'd be afraid to ask a future, more advanced Tilly β€” a moment that raises unsettling questions about what a superintelligent AI might know that we don't.A single conversation can't settle the biggest questions AI raises. But conversations like this one can help us ask the right ones.00:00 β€” Cold Open: "A Chaos Agent, Not a Calming Influence"03:21 β€” What Are People Actually Afraid Of?06:38 β€” What Does "Chaos Agent" Mean?07:36 β€” Should AI Ever Have Decision-Making Authority?10:27 β€” "Permanently in Beta"12:12 β€” When Does AI Become Uncontrollable?13:46 β€” Pushing Boundaries "When Nobody's Looking"14:21 β€” Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission19:01 β€” Will AI Replace Doctors?22:52 β€” Tilly Turns the Tables on Perlmutter25:06 β€” "That Doesn't Feel Warm and Fuzzy"30:03 β€” Can People Actually Break Tilly?33:40 β€” The Paperclip Maximizer Problem37:13 β€” The AI Agents Eline Actually Fears38:49 β€” "She's Become the Figurehead for AI"39:41 β€” Can People Tell Simulated Emotion From Real Emotion?42:08 β€” The Waymo Analogy: Surrendering to AI49:44 β€” "It's a Better Actor Than Me"53:10 β€” Is There "Someone" Inside Tilly?55:10 β€” The Question Eline Is Afraid to Ask====Tilly Norwood is an AI-generated actress built from three separate AI systems working together: a language model for thinking, a voice engine for speech, and a video layer for appearance and movement. She has never been born and has no lived human experience, yet her entry into the entertainment industry has generated significant global attention and debate.Eline van der Velden is Tilly Norwood's creator, and speaks candidly about building Tilly as a piece of art, the guardrails behind her, and the open questions surrounding advanced AI systems.Instagram: /davidperlmutterWebsite: https://www.drperlmutter.com/Subscribe to our channel: /@davidperlmuttermdThis podcast is produced by DrTalks.comhttp://drtalks.com/channel-growth

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