Ai 'actress' tilly norwood drops pop video amid backlash
AI “actress” Tilly Norwood, the subject of considerable debate since her 2025 debut, has reignited the conversation with the release of a pop music video addressing the very criticisms leveled against her.
Norwood's video: a whirlwind of artificiality and commentary
The video for “Take the Lead” features Norwood in a series of surreal scenarios – swinging from a disco ball, performing on a London rooftop, and even seemingly flying with an inflatable flamingo. While the visuals appear heavily reliant on AI generation, production company Particle6 insists the project involved a team of nearly 20 humans, arguing AI streamlined, rather than replaced, traditional workflows.
The production company cleverly included a message at the start of the video stating: “The following production was made by 18 real humans – from production designers to costume designers to prompters, editors, and an actor. No flamingos were harmed in the process.”
The song, inspired by an essay by Norwood’s creator Eline van der Velden, was generated using Suno, an AI music generator. Particle6, along with Van der Velden’s production company and its AI talent division Xicoia Studio, assembled the track using existing AI tools and proprietary processes. Van der Velden herself acted out Norwood's performance, which was then integrated into the AI workflow.
Lyrics reveal Van der Velden grappling with the online and real-world reaction to Norwood's emergence as the world's first “AI actress.” Lines like “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” suggest a complex emotional landscape behind the artificial persona.
This musical push is widely seen as a prelude to Norwood’s official acting debut later this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Furthermore, reports suggest a broader “Tilly-verse” is being cultivated, envisioning Norwood and future AI characters coexisting and collaborating.
The controversy surrounding AI actors isn't new. Earlier this year, figures like Chris Pratt dismissed concerns about AI’s impact, calling the anxieties