The internet has united in disgust against a new music video released by AI-generated “actress” Tilly Norwood, which has been advertised as “the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman.”
The song “Take the Lead” is inspired by a recently published essay written by Eline van der Velden, the creator of Norwood and CEO of production company Particle6 and AI talent studio Xicoia. The exec said it was all done in response to the backlash from Norwood’s debut last year.
The music video, released on Tuesday, begins with a disclaimer saying: “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.”
“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 lyrics say in part. “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.”
“Be the creators we’ve always known/ It’s the next evolution, can’t you see?/ AI’s not the enemy, it’s the key,” another line says.
The song also insists that the Norwood character possesses human qualities.
“They say it’s not real, that it’s fake/ But I am still human, make no mistake/ My soul’s in every move I take/ And you can own the path you make,” the song lyrics read.
These assertions and the over-the-top nature of the music video have led to a slew of mockery.
“It took only 18 humans to achieve this level of soullessness? Imagine what 19 could have done!” one commenter wrote.
“This is the most offensive thing I’ve seen in a long, long time. And that’s really saying something,” a second person agreed.
“I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself,” echoed a third.
“Tilly is, and has always been, a vehicle to test the creative capabilities and boundaries of AI — not take anyone’s job,” van der Velden wrote in defense of the created character.
“As an actor myself, I have loved bringing Tilly alive for this video and feel that the ability to now use performance capture in this way, to fully inhabit an AI character, is a phenomenal way to bring an unknown actor like me closer to the craft.”
She added, “However, at the end of the day, even with brilliant new technology, it’s still important to stress that great AI content isn’t instant — it always takes good ideas, taste, direction, judgment and time. In other words: people remain at the heart of it.”
The Hollywood Reporter noted that this music video is part of the launch of a “Tilly-verse,” where Norwood and other AI characters can “live, interact, and work.”
Many prominent stars have come out against the creation of Tilly Norwood, including the media labor union SAG-AFTRA.
“It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience,” the organization wrote in a statement last fall. “It doesn’t solve any ‘problem’ — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.”
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