Ai 'actress' tilly norwood drops pop video amid backlash
AI “actress” Tilly Norwood, the subject of considerable debate since her 2025 debut as the world’s first AI actress, has reignited discussion with the release of a new pop music video. The video for her song “Take the Lead” directly addresses the criticism she has faced, featuring a surreal blend of AI-generated imagery and a surprisingly human touch.
Norwood’s video embraces the absurdity of its own creation
The music video, replete with outlandish visuals – Norwood swinging from a disco ball, performing on a London rooftop, and even soaring through the air on an inflatable flamingo – appears almost entirely AI-generated. However, production company Particle6 insists the project involved a team of nearly 20 people, from production designers to editors, arguing that AI streamlined the process rather than replacing human work. The video's opening message reinforces this, stating that 18 real humans contributed to its creation, including costume designers, editors, and an actor who physically embodied Norwood’s performance.
The song itself, inspired by an essay by Norwood’s creator Eline van der Velden, was crafted using Suno, an AI music generator. Particle6, in collaboration with Van der Velden’s production company and its AI talent arm Xicoia Studio, integrated the AI-generated music with pre-existing AI tools and a bespoke creative process. Van der Velden’s performance was then incorporated into the AI workflow to produce the final product.
Lyrics reveal Van der Velden is grappling with the online and real-world backlash that followed Norwood's introduction to the public. “When they talk about me, they don’t see the human spark, the creativity… I’m just a tool, but I’ve got life,” the robotic Norwood sings. “They think I’m just a dollar dream but I’ve got more than they believe… I’m not a puppet, I’m the star.”
This musical push is widely seen as a prelude to Norwood’s official acting debut later this year. Sources indicate that the companies backing Norwood are actively building a “Tilly-verse,” envisioning Norwood and future AI characters interacting and collaborating within a shared digital space. Earlier this year, figures like Chris Pratt voiced concerns about the potential disruption of Hollywood by AI actors, dismissing the anxieties as “bulls*.”
The video's playful embrace of artificiality is a calculated move. It's a statement about the evolving nature of creativity and the blurred lines between human and artificial artistry – and a bold assertion from the creators of what might be the future of acting.
The continued development of AI performers, however, raises profound questions about the future of human actors and the very definition of performance.