AI “actress” Tilly Norwood is back. This time, he released a pop music video, singing about the backlash to his initial announcement.
The song’s title is “Take the Lead,” and its accompanying music video is chock-full of ridiculous imagery, including Norwood swinging from a disco ball, singing on a London rooftop, and even flying through the air on an inflatable flamingo.
But while the video appears to feature AI-generated images throughout, production company Particle 6 said the project was made by a team of about 20 people and that AI is simply freeing up productivity rather than taking jobs away. You will have to decide for yourself there.
Tilly Norwood’s new video begins with the message, “The work below was created by 18 real people, from production designers to costume designers to teleprompters to editors to actors. No flamingos were harmed in the process.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the song was inspired by an essay written by Norwood creator Eline van der Velden, was generated using AI music generator Suno, and was put together by Particle 6 (van der Velden’s production company) and Xicoia Studio, the company’s AI talent arm, using existing AI tools and their own creative process. During the process, van der Velden enacted Norwood’s performance, which was incorporated into the AI workflow to create the music video.
The lyrics show that van der Velden is still dealing with online and real-world backlash over Norwood’s 2025 announcement and her status as the world’s first “AI actress.” “When they talk about me, they don’t see the brilliance and creativity of humans…I’m just a tool, but I have a life,” Norwood can be heard singing robotically. “They think I’m just a money dream, but I have more than they believe…I’m not a puppet, I’m a star.”
According to THR, this musical push appears to be a testimonial for Norwood’s official acting debut later this year. The company behind Norwood also appears to be promoting a “Tilliverse” where Norwood and unannounced future AI characters can “live, interact, and work,” the magazine claims.
Earlier this year, Marvel and Jurassic World star Chris Pratt criticized Norwood, calling the panic within Hollywood about the potential impact of AI “actors” “bullish.”
Image credit: Particle6
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow @nikonamerica on Twitter.
