Hollywood's First True AI Actress Causes Massive Backlash, Sora 2 Released, and More!


Hey Reader,

Welcome back!

This was a huge week in AI, with OpenAI surprising everyone with the release of Sora 2, their next-generation video AI.

We'll tell you everything you need to know about Sora 2, plus we'll explain the controversy brewing in Hollywood surrounding a rising AI actress, share with you a handy image editing prompt, and more.

All that awaits below! Let's get right into it...


🪄 App of the Week: Sora 2

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Use Case: Create and Share Custom Videos

Link: Sora 2 (Waitlist Only, Not Sponsored!)​

Why you should care:
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This week, OpenAI released Sora 2, a new AI video generation model that makes massive improvements on the original Sora model.

Sora 2 is more physically accurate, realistic, and controllable than the original Sora, and it generates native audio to pair with each video, much like Google's Veo 3. Each Sora 2 video comes with synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and/or music depending on your prompt.

But the real killer feature for Sora 2 is the accompanying Sora mobile app and the Cameo feature. Cameo lets users train Sora 2 on their likeness, which then allows Sora 2 to add the user into any future video generation as a character.

And here's where the social aspect of the Sora app comes into play: users can also share their Cameos so that others can use them in their own generations.

Sora users can either share Cameos with specific friends or they can choose to make the Cameo publicly accessible so that any other Sora user can add you to their videos.

Ready to get your hands on Sora 2?

Yeah, we are too, but somewhat disappointingly, OpenAI is doing an invite-only rollout for Sora 2 and the Sora app. OpenAI says they'll be rolling out Sora 2 access first to "Sora power users", then to ChatGPT Pro accounts, then to Plus accounts, and so on.

So for right now, all you can do is cross your fingers and wait! When you get Sora access, you should get a notification the next time you open up ChatGPT on the web interface, desktop app, or mobile app.


đź“° News That Matters: AI Actress Nears Agency Deal, Sparks Hollywood Backlash

Links:
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AI Actress Tilly Norwood Debuts at Zurich Summit | Variety​
​Melissa Barrera, Lukas Gage & More React To AI Actress Tilly Norwood | Deadline​

Why it matters:
​
We are at a turning point in human history.

A moment where we get to collectively decide what we want our future to look like.

This week, Hollywood met its first true AI actress: Tilly Norwood.

Tilly is created and managed by the newly formed talent studio Xicoia, debuted at the recent Zurich Summit, and has already drawn interest from major agencies.

Within hours of the reveal, actors fired back: Melissa Barrera called for a boycott of any agent who signs her, Kiersey Clemons demanded names, and Jenna Leigh Green tagged @sagaftra to ask what they would do about it.

The backlash made it clear that this is a fight over who (or what) counts as an actor or actress going forward.

On one side, studios and many creators see AI talent as a massive creative unlock.

AI talent means no scheduling conflicts, instant localization, safe stunts, and infinitely tweakable performances. Xicoia’s pitch goes even further, promising AI-native stars with distinct voices, evolving story arcs, and the ability to interact with fans unscripted across film, TV, social media, podcasts, and games. If the story matters more than whether the star has a pulse, synthetic actors will undoubtedly be a useful tool to create those stories going forward.

But on the other side, human performers and unions see this emerging AI talent as an existential threat.

Who owns the face, voice, and likeness if it’s a composite of hundreds of real women? What happens to residuals, career pipelines, and diversity in casting when studios can train a character once and scale it forever? The tech is impressive, but what ramifications are we going to see by using AI talent?

Still others suggest a middle path for AI talent in creative work. Those arguing for balance are calling for clear labeling of AI content, consent-based datasets, revenue sharing, and frameworks that let AI augment but not replace humans.

So what happens next?

If Tilly lands real roles with agency backing and audiences don’t flinch, the industry’s Overton window shifts overnight. If backlash builds, studios may reconsider their strategy.

Either way, this week marked the moment when “AI actors” stopped being hypothetical and became a current issue.

So if you feel strongly about this, make your voice heard!

Have conversations with your friends and family about it, support the creators and performers you believe in, and share your perspective publicly.

Moments like this don’t come around often. The future of entertainment isn’t written yet, and we all get a say in shaping it.


📝 Prompt of the Week: Create Professional Headshots for Free

Prompt Formula:
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Edit this image. I need a professional, high-resolution, profile photo, maintaining the exact facial structure, identity, and key features of the person in the input image. The subject is framed from the chest up, with ample headroom and negative space above their head, ensuring the top of their head is not cropped. The person looks directly at the camera, and the subject's body is also directly facing the camera. They are styled for a professional photo studio shoot, wearing a smart casual blazer. The background is a solid '#141414' neutral studio. Shot from a high angle with bright and airy soft, diffused studio lighting, gently illuminating the face and creating a subtle catchlight in the eyes, conveying a sense of clarity. Captured on an 85mm f/1.8 lens with a shallow depth of field, exquisite focus on the eyes, and beautiful, soft bokeh. Observe crisp detail on the fabric texture of the blazer, individual strands of hair, and natural, realistic skin texture. The atmosphere exudes confidence, professionalism, and approachability. Clean and bright cinematic color grading with subtle warmth and balanced tones, ensuring a polished and contemporary feel.

Quick Description:
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This week on X/Twitter, Google shared a post with a step-by-step tutorial showing you how to use Gemini Nano Banana to generate professional headshots. We've condensed that thread into a plain-text tutorial for you here for your convenience!

How to Use:

  1. Use the Gemini web app or Google's AI Studio to access Gemini Image Editing (Nano Banana).
  2. Upload an image of yourself. Note that your input image doesn't need to have a clean background or be in 4K resolution, but the cleaner and higher quality the input image, the better your output image will be.
  3. Copy the above prompt.
  4. Paste it into the chat box.
  5. Send the prompt!

In less than a minute, Gemini will output a professional headshot on a clean background while maintaining the subject from the original image. This is a great way to save time and money on expensive professional photoshoots!


📽️ Video of the Week: The Disturbing Rise of AI "Workslop"

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A recent study conducted by Stanford and BetterUp Labs surveyed over 1,100 U.S. workers about "AI workslop".

This is a brand new term emerging to describe a phenomenon where, rather than increasing worker productivity, AI tools are being used by workers to do sloppy-but-seemingly-solid work that ultimately just shifts the work to another person.

​This video from former Nvidia employee Brandon 'Atrioc' Ewing does a fantastic job of explaining what AI workslop is, how to spot it, and what effects it is having on businesses today. Give it a watch if you want to learn more!


📢 Community Highlight: Build an Automation that Organizes your Emails (n8n)

We just released a new guide in The AI Advantage community: “Build an Automation that Organizes your Emails (n8n)” by team member Filip.

This is the exact automation we use to manage The AI Advantage inbox and now you can build it too!

It checks your Gmail every 4 hours, bundles all new emails, and lets AI decide whether to ignore, reply, forward, or label each one. It even creates auto-drafted replies and pre-written templates, all with minimal manual effort.

In the guide, you’ll learn how to:

  • Set up time-based Gmail triggers in n8n
  • Prompt AI to return clean, structured JSON decisions
  • Auto-draft replies with dynamic templates
  • Route emails by type—ignore, respond, forward, or flag
  • Fully customize how hands-off you want it to be

If you're looking to declutter any email inbox, this guide is for you!

​Join The AI Advantage community to get the full guide and start automating your email with AI today.​


That's all for this week!

See you next Thursday.

Much Love,
Igor & The AI Advantage Team

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Written By:​
​
Igor Pogany - igor@myaiadvantage.com​
​
Daniel Pierce - danielpierce305@gmail.com​
​© 2024 All Rights Reserved.

Hi! I'm Igor with The AI Advantage.

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