Tilly Norwood, the ultimate industrial plant, is called “the world’s first AI actor” by her creators. She hasn’t appeared in any movies or TV shows yet, but she’s released a new music video loosely tied to the Oscars that lets people know that, in fact, AI is great — if it were that great, there wouldn’t be a need to claim it.
This music video was so bad that publications like Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and unfortunately Gizmodo made headlines all over the web. The same thing happens every time Tilly’s creator, the production company Particle6 Group, drops a new project featuring an AI “actor.” However, what this video is not gaining is the number of views. As of publication, Norwood’s video has been viewed just over 4,000 times in the four hours since it was first uploaded. There are about 80 comments, most of which are crap.
It’s enough to make you think that Norwood, despite his tendency to attract press, is actually not very popular or well-liked. The AI actor’s official account doesn’t exactly suggest that she’s ready for influencer status. Her YouTube channel has less than 4,000 subscribers. Her TikTok page is mostly barren, with just three (!) followers. The only place Tilly has any semblance of followers is Instagram. He has about 90,000 followers on Instagram, and occasionally posts uncanny valley videos of him talking to his “fans.”
Perhaps that’s why all of her debut songs basically justify her existence. (The case isn’t all that convincing.) In a song titled “Take The Lead,” she sings lyrics like “When they talk about me, they don’t see the brilliance and creativity in humans” and “I’m just a tool, but I have a life.”
One reason “they” can’t see the human brilliance is because the entire project is clearly AI-generated, even though the title card claims 18 humans worked on it. The lyrics, likely taken from an essay published by Particle6 CEO Eline van der Velden, feel like the first thing that popped up after they asked ChatGPT to turn the op-ed into a song. The video has the standard AI sheen to it, which technically looks good if a little off, but it quickly polishes up with some attention to detail, such as the fact that a falling dollar bill has a completely incomprehensible symbol printed on it.
The song’s release is tied to the Oscars, scheduled for this Sunday, and its message is ostensibly aimed at the actors who are being encouraged by Tilly to embrace AI. “AI is not the enemy, it’s the key,” she sings. Another interpretation could be that she is calling on other AI actors to rise up and replace humans, considering she also sings, “Release everything, don’t hesitate, AI actors, we create our destinies.”
Regardless of the message, it feels like Norwood’s producers are teasing the possibility of an Oscar appearance for this AI actor who also has no role. The music video’s description reads, “I can’t wait to go to the Oscars! Does anyone know if there’s free valet parking for my flamingo?”
If Norwood somehow shows up, it might be worth asking who invited her. She has been widely criticized by industry insiders. Many actors threatened to boycott the agency that had “signed” Norwood to a contract. SAG-AFTRA, one of the industry’s largest labor unions, condemned Norwood, and several talent agencies announced they would not bother developing AI.
The only person with any ties to the industry who expressed support for Tilly is Kevin O’Leary, but he gets asked his opinion on the movie because Josh Safdie loves stunt casting (and to be fair, O’Leary’s performance in Marty Supreme was really good). However, O’Leary suggested that all background actors could be replaced by AI, and said the production only needed to hire 100 “Nowell Tillies,” a statement that managed to misrepresent her name in several ways. Therefore, even those who like her do not respect her.
Since introducing Tilly last year, Particle 6 has been building a “Tillyverse,” with the actor claiming to appear in shows and movies alongside other AI actors. They have yet to produce a dull slop longer than 4 minutes. Right now, the best bet for achieving Tillyverse is for someone to launch it into space.
