SAG-AFTRA proposes 'Tilly Tax' for AI actors ahead of Feb. 9 studio talks

SAG-AFTRA is preparing to sit down with studios on Feb. 9 to push back against a growing AI threat, proposing a "Tilly Tax" that would require studios using synthetic actors in place of humans to pay a royalty into a union fund. The proposal is named for the AI-generated "actress" Tilly Norwood, created by actor-comedian and technologist Eline van der Velden and an offshoot of her company, Xicoia.

Tilly first appeared in a comedy sketch titled "AI Commissioner" and "even had agencies bidding to represent them," the report says. With the memory of the union's 118-day strike fading, SAG-AFTRA acknowledges the Tilly Tax "doesn't attack the heart of the problem" but says it must get inventive as AI performers become more common.

Brendan Bradley, a member of the union's AI task force, conceded: "Is that a perfect solution? No, but it’s under the category of the best bad idea we’ve got in 2026." Studios, the piece notes, have long known pushback was coming. The union remains focused on residuals as its top issue.

"The No. 1 thing is still residuals. Is there a way to make it so when a show goes up on a streaming platform, we get the equivalent amount of money as a network residual?" said Kate Bond, a 2023 strike captain and member of the union’s L.A. board. The article notes hopes are low after the 2023 strike shifted demands from fair residuals to "success bonuses," and that streaming's rise has left traditional residuals "nearly nonexistent." Negotiations begin Feb.

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