AI actor Tilly Norwood lands first feature film role, sparking Hollywood backlash over labor rights

AI 'Actor' Tilly Norwood Lands Big Break With Feature Film 'Misaligned'

Aaron covers what's exciting and new in the world of home entertainment and streaming TV. Previously, he wrote about entertainment for places like Rotten Tomatoes, Inverse, TheWrap and The Hollywood Reporter. Aaron is also an actor and stay-at-home dad, which means coffee is his friend. Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated "actor" who drew backlash from Hollywood last year, will star in a feature film -- a first for the character. The movie is titled Misaligned, a comedy-drama described by Deadline as "a coming-of-age story infused with existential AI chaos." Norwood creator Particle6 Productions, the London-based AI studio developing the project, is said to have brought together 30 TV and film creatives, filmmakers, actors and technologists since opening its doors and has "retrained and upskilled" the crew to bring its AI platform and processes to movie-making. Combining a production crew with scientists and engineers specializing in AI to streamline the movie production process and cut costs is a concept first relayed to CNET at this year's AI on the Lot conference. Now it seems Particle6 is putting this idea to the test. Misaligned is set in a surreal story world called The Tillyverse. It will follow Tilly, a bodyless, identity-less AI being who has access to everyone else's lived human experiences. According to the synopsis, things get complicated when a "seductive rogue bot from the dark web convinces her to abandon her guardrails and begin developing desires, impulses, and ambitions of her own. The more terrifyingly human she becomes, the more famous she gets and, significantly, Tilly begins to develop shame that her very being has been built on the whole of humanity." Particle6 CEO Eline van der Velden, who created Tilly and starred in the BBC 3 series Miss Holland, said of the project: "Now, with our first feature film, we will not only be showcasing the very latest tools and their applications, but we'll also be helping traditional filmmakers who join the crew to upskill and transition to a world where AI will play an increasingly important part. We remain passionate about helping people develop AI skills that will ensure they -- and the industry -- continue to thrive."

AI golem Tilly Norwood is reportedly 'starring' in a feature-length movie - Engadget

The details are beyond fuzzy, so don't hold your breath for this one. Tilly Norwood is an AI "actor" that pops up every now and again in various marketing stunts. Now she's starring in her own movie, according to a report by Variety. It's called Misaligned and is being made by Particle6 Productions, the same company behind the uncanny valley-adjacent Norwood. It's being described as a "coming-of-age story infused with existential AI chaos." It's set in, and this is not a joke, the "Tillyverse" and involves Norwood trying to become more human as she encounters a "seductive rogue bot from the dark web." CEO Eline van der Velden says "the film will absolutely be funny, chaotic and self-aware -- very Tilly." This would be the first full-length feature film from Particle6. Particle6 thus far has specialized in short-form AI marketing videos that are fairly heavy on the slop. I'm no expert, but I happen to think there's a wide gulf between a 15 second AI-generated perfume ad on Instagram and a feature-length movie. The company does offer a service to film studios that leverages AI for landscape generation and VFX, but we aren't sure how successful it's been. It did recently make this Tilly Norwood music video that made me feel trapped inside of a nightmare, so there's that. The company hasn't announced any human collaborators from the film industry, but has suggested it'll be a hybrid production that pairs traditional filmmakers with "AI specialists." We don't know if there's a script or anything like that. I am highly skeptical this will ever get made, and this isn't me railing against AI. It's me railing against Tilly Norwood. The AI-generated character has always seemed more like a ragebait machine than a serious attempt to bring this technology to the film industry. When Norwood was first introduced via a publicity stunt at the Zurich Film Festival, it stirred up real fear in Hollywood. Particle6 responded to this with some short-form videos and captions that seemed to mock those fears. I'm not sure Particle6 is interested in doing anything with Norwood other than making announcements that, in turn, grab headlines. It definitely worked today. In any event, we'll have to wait and see if Misaligned actually gets made.

The Irritating Phenomenon Known As 'Tilly Norwood' Is Getting Some Sort of Movie Now

If you're not already familiar with the concept known as "Tilly Norwood," it's an AI-generated representation of a person, and in marketing materials, it's treated vaguely like a celebrity who can sing and act, when it is, in fact, nothing more than a high-tech version of someone's doodle of a pretty lady. The latest Tilly Norwood news is that apparently the doodle is now going to be added to a feature film. The production, according to NBC (which apparently received some press materials) is being described by its creators at the Particle6 AI production studio as a "hybrid production with traditional film and TV professionals." Back in March, Particle6 released a music video with Tilly Norwood being credited as the recording artist, and it was cringe to an absolutely gruesome degree. The song, called "Take The Lead," failed to attract an audience beyond the morbidly curious, and -- despite having its own publicity machine -- logged less than 400 thousand views. It has, as far as I can tell, literally exclusively negative YouTube comments. I almost don't want to revisit "Take the Lead," but unfortunately it suffers from one of the same obvious problems as the Tilly Norwood movie: it's AI content about AI. NBC writes that the movie will be called Misaligned, and being misaligned, you see, is a piece of AI jargon for when a model is misbehaving or working against the interests of humanity. The movie will apparently take place in the cloud, and feature "existential AI chaos." Doesn't that sound awful in a way that seems totally avoidable? If there were a gun to your head, and you absolutely had to watch Tilly Norwood in a movie, wouldn't you rather it be just a regular movie? One where Tilly Norwood's character -- I don't know -- fights evil goblins? Doesn't making it about AI sound like torture? Well it's worth keeping in mind that the mastermind behind this whole Norwood concept is a Dutch comedian named Eline van der Velden who told the Times of London that her background in improv has taught her to have "no shame," and that it helped her to become some kind of high-powered businesswoman. "All that training, performing and comedy, especially improv comedy, really translates into the boardroom. You've got to think on your feet. Every pitch is a performance," she says. So expect this to keep going for a while. At first, the whole idea of an AI-generated celebrity was disturbing. SAG-AFTRA, the U.S. union for actors, denounced Tilly Norwood's supposed quest for representation in showbiz. "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," the union wrote in a statement last year. But this whole drawn-out publicity stunt is attracting less and less of an emotional reaction the longer it goes on. It's like a bit from an improv comedian that made people boo at first. In improv, it's admirable to commit. Maybe something will come from this material after the booing subsides. But the reaction has clearly died down, and nothing's happening. Now we're in for one of those long stretches of silence punctuated by a cough. Tilly Norwood, whatever you are, just get off the stage please.

I dug into how AI actress Tilly Norwood was trained -- here's what I found

For the past few years, I've watched AI work behind the scenes in Hollywood. I've seen it de-age actors, bring some back to life, generate concept art and assist with visual effects. Today, the technology has stepped into the spotlight itself. This week, U.K.-based studio Particle6 announced that its AI-generated performer, Tilly Norwood, will star in its first feature film, "Misaligned". The announcement is a clear signal that Hollywood now views AI as primary on-screen talent. The mystery behind Tilly's training data When I dug into exactly how Particle6 brought Tilly to life, I immediately hit a wall of proprietary secrets. The studio refuses to release the specific dataset used to train their digital lead. That lack of transparency is driving a massive industry backlash from major actors like Emily Blunt, Melissa Barrera, and Natasha Lyonne, who have all voiced extreme disapproval of the synthetic performer. SAG-AFTRA has been highly critical of her origins too. The union issued a blunt statement asserting that Tilly is generated by a program trained on the work of countless professional performers without permission or compensation. Since foundational AI video models require massive amounts of visual data to understand human movement, lighting, and micro-expressions, critics argue that Tilly is essentially a composite puppet stitched together from the copyrighted work of real actors. The union claims this technology creates the very real problem of using "stolen performances" to jeopardize performer livelihoods. Particle6 insists her creation is an act of hybrid craftsmanship. Van der Velden describes a workflow requiring extensive human intervention. The studio employs a crew of over 30 traditional TV and film creatives who work directly with AI specialists. They use generative foundations to lock in her visual identity, and then human directors prompt, refine, and edit her movements, often blending live-action footage with AI-driven reconstructions. According to Van der Velden, it took over 2,000 iterations to "teach" the AI to act. The bigger picture The broader reality here is that generative AI previously acted as a creative assistant. Writers used it to brainstorm, designers used it to generate images and editors used it to speed up post-production. Today, the AI itself is the final product. We've already seen AI influencers build millions of followers, AI musicians rack up streams, and AI-generated personalities dominate social media feeds. An AI leading a feature film pushes that trend a massive step forward. Will audiences actually accept an AI star? Technically, we've had digital characters for decades. The real question I'm looking at is whether audiences will embrace an AI performer the same way they've embraced virtual influencers, VTubers or CGI characters. One of the biggest hurdles facing characters like Tilly is the "uncanny valley" -- the unsettling feeling audiences get when a digital human looks almost real, but slightly off. I'm curious what you think. Would you watch a movie with an AI cast? Share your thoughts in the comments. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. Finally, you can visit our dedicated Tom's Guide Savings Squad hub for expert help on getting the best products for less.

Is it time to enter the Tillyverse? Seven things you need to know about AI 'actor' Tilly Norwood

Mocked when she made her debut last year, Norwood has now landed her first feature film. Is she the next Scarlett Johansson - or just computer-generated slop? Could Tilly Norwood be Hollywood's next big name? She's been billed as the next Scarlett Johansson, was profiled by the New York Times Magazine, and has just landed her first feature role. She is also AI-generated. Stay with me here! It seems that the widespread dismay that greeted Tilly (Norwood?) on her first appeance a year ago has done nothing to quell her (its?) ambitions to make it in the movies. She may be nothing but a pleasingly visualised bunch of code, but it seems we are bound to keep on hearing about her. So what do we need to know about Norwood? She's going to be in a feature film Trade publication Deadline opted for snarky air quotes in its report earlier this week that the AI "actor" is to "star" in her first feature film. Misaligned is billed as a coming-of-age comedy-drama, set inside the "Tillyverse", a "surreal digital world located somewhere up in the cloud". Our heroine - none other than Norwood, playing herself - is cast into "existential AI chaos" when a "seductive rogue bot from the dark web" convinces her to override her code and develop human desires, "significantly ... shame". So, a fallen woman plot but "showcasing the very latest tools and their applications", per the press release from Particle 6, the "AI-first production studio". This sounds truly unwatchable, and I watched a CGI-enhanced Sir Ian McKellen lap milk from a little saucer in 2019's Cats. We're never going to see Misaligned (right, guys?), so can't we scrub what little we know of Norwood from memory and move on? She has friends in high places The trouble is, Norwood is not just another starlet being pitched as the next big thing - but the forever-young and freckled harbinger of a potential industry shift. Indeed, the London-based Particle 6 is counting on making Norwood happen, retraining and upskilling its 30-plus team in "AI production". CEO and founder Eline van der Velden said in the press release that the idea is to produce "hybrid" features, which use AI in tandem "with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgment and time", with Misaligned being the test case. "Our ambition with Tilly Norwood has always been to show the creative industry what is possible with AI at any one point in time," said van der Velden. No pressure, Tils! She might be the most hated figure in Hollywood You can imagine some directors having their heads turned by Norwood, what with her being cheaper and more biddable than a living, breathing woman but with hair that's just as glossy. At the very least, she won't be unionised (for now). Understandably, living, breathing actors have rushed to condemn Norwood for threatening to undercut their margins and craft. Emily Blunt called her "really scary", Sophie Turner posted "no thanks" and Toni Collette commented a handful of screaming emoji. At least Whoopi Goldberg was bullish on The View, responding to Norwood with: "Bring it on." The issue is not simply that AI actors could take human roles. As noted by the actors' union Sag-Aftra, they are generated from "the work of countless professional performers - without permission or compensation". If embraced, they open up a host of labour rights issues, for example if AI Emily Blunt is deployed on set to do or say something actual Emily Blunt refuses to do. She's not just a robot, she also has a (bad) personality! In her recent "interview" with Norwood, the New York Times Magazine's celebrity profiler, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, described the computer-generated character as polite, distant with a posh British accent, "carefully constructed" answers and a glancing familiarity with the Meisner school of acting - so not all that different from a flesh-and-blood actor. Norwood even displayed the world-weary attitude and media savvyness of a more experienced leading lady, grumbling to Brodesser-Akner of journalists: "They ask for honesty, then flinch when it arrives ... You seem sturdier than most." But can she act? Well, Norwood is described as having "three modes". That's two more than Jason Statham! Her creator, at least, sees the best in her Instead of analysing Norwood, we might look instead to Van der Velden, who still seems to be searching for the most palatable angle on her creation. Norwood was initially pitched as "satire", appearing in a comedy sketch parodying the process of TV development. ("She'll do anything I say, I'm already in love," says a producer.) After facing backlash, Van der Velden went on to describe Norwood as an extension of the actor's craft. "Think of Andy Serkis as Gollum [or] Zoe Saldaña in Avatar," she wrote in an opinion piece published in Variety in March. "She wasn't less of an actor because her character was blue and rendered in pixels." Van der Velden suggested the technology could benefit performers, enabling them to create digital avatars that could be a "bolder, more expressive version of themselves". AI actors could even be "a more ethical alternative", sparing humans from gruelling physical transformations or dangerous stunts for roles. Needless to say, this galaxy-brained, see-what-sticks argument has not seemed to endear Norwood nor her creator to flesh-and-blood performers. Van der Velden has said she's received hate mail, including death threats, though Brodesser-Akner describes her as being bemused by the backlash. The music is legitimately bad Norwood already has her very own pop song. Take the Lead begins as a heartfelt piano ballad, with Norwood mournful about being misunderstood ("They don't see the human spark, the creativity behind the code") before dusting herself off to deliver a bubblegum-pop, apparently empowering anthem, directly calling upon actors to embrace the possibilities of her kind: "We can scale, we can grow ... AI's not the enemy, it's the key." The video is declared to be the work of "18 real humans", including an actor, but Van der Velden reportedly generated the lyrics by feeding her Variety essay into ChatGPT. Take the Lead has somehow had 430,000 views since March. (Tellingly, Billboard's report refers to Norwood as "it".) We probably should take it a bit seriously Between the dismal display of Take the Lead and the pretty much unanimous hostility aimed at Norwood, it seems unlikely that she (I am increasingly leaning towards "it", too) will ever be accepted as a bona fide star. This week, Page Six pointed out that Norwood wasn't even a success on her own digital turf, with middling to low followings on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. But even if this creation fails to capture hearts and minds, the problems it presents - about labour rights, human creativity and the extent to which we're willing to let AI undercut both - are real and imminent. It's easy to say no to Tilly Norwood and sit out her feature debut. But what if we're already living in the Tillyverse?

AI "Actor" Will "Star" In a New "Movie"

Can't-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech If you've been following AI's inroads into the movie biz, you'll already know that Tilly Norwood is the AI "actor" that the tech-focused studio Particle 6 keeps trying to make into a thing, but has so far only succeeded in universally infuriating actual performers, not to mention moviegoers. Now, it's taking its biggest gamble yet by having Tilly Norwood lead her own movie, Particle 6 announced Monday -- which will surely be what finally catapults her to bona fide star status, after that sorry attempt at a music video. Called "Misaligned," the movie will be a feature length "coming-of-age story infused with existential AI chaos." (No commentary necessary.) It will be set inside the "Tillyverse," which Variety describes in its coverage as a "surreal digital world located somewhere up in the Cloud," and follows "Tilly," an AI entity that has no real body or experiences. The story kicks off when a rogue bot convinces her to drop her guardrails and start developing human feelings. All very meta, isn't it? Though it's being touted as Particle 6's AI feature film, the studio insists that it's a "hybrid production" that will have human writers, directors and editors. "Our work this year has proven something we suspected all along," Eline van der Velden, CEO and founder of Particle 6, said in a statement, per Variety. "AI can support premium narrative filmmaking, but only with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgement and time. That's not a limitation of the technology. That's the point." Studio 6 seems to be taking a gamble that by foregrounding some of the criticisms around AI and tech in its plot, it can cleverly win over moviegoers who have largely rejected AI tech. Tongue-in-cheek commentary can be cerebral fodder for skeptical critics. "The film will absolutely be funny, chaotic and self-aware -- very Tilly," van der Velden said, as if those were trademark qualities of an AI creation we should be familiar with. "But underneath it, there's something deeper about identity, performance, and our very human fears around AI. And yes, art will most definitely be imitating life." We've seen other attempts at making heavy use of AI in film, and none of them have gone over well. A fully AI-generated flick called "Hell Grind" tried to generate hype by giving the impression that it was shown at the uber-prestigious Cannes Film Festival, but backfired when we pointed out that it was being shown in another Cannes event out of competition. And last month, the Emmy-winning writer director Jorge Gutierrez backed out of an AI-generated animated series funded by Amazon after his fans viciously attacked him for "selling out" to AI. Per Variety, "Misaligned" is in early development with no release date set. Beyond the actual quality of the movie, it'll be informative to see if it ends up getting meaningful distribution, and how quickly it gets made, since efficiency is one of AI's key selling points.

AI's most infamous 'actor' to star in a dramedy about how hard it is to be AI

Last fall, AI "talent" studio Xicoia unveiled Tilly Norwood to the world, an AI-generated "actor" that quickly drew the ire of the actors' union SAG-AFTRA. In response to all that backlash, Xicoia and its founder Eline van der Velden made a single and a music video for Norwood championing AI. It's not very good. Norwood won't be stopped, however, whether you want AI-generated movies or not. Van der Velden's AI production company Particle 6 is developing the movie Misaligned that will "star" the AI-generated code that is Norwood. It will reportedly be a "hybrid production" with actual directors, editors, writers, and more working with AI specialists. Misaligned is a "coming-of-age" dramedy centered around "existential AI chaos." Norwood, existing in some sort of digital world, has no real body or lived experiences, but somehow has access to others' experiences. Chaos ensues when a "seductive rogue bot from the dark web convinces her to abandon her guardrails and begin developing desires, impulses and ambitions of her own," according to the film's synopsis. Norwood "develop[s] shame that her very being has been built on the whole of humanity" and, yep, plenty of generative AI is built on the stolen work of others. At least Particle 6 and van der Velden understand this, though don't be surprised when Misaligned's message ends up being very pro-AI. This is the same "actor" whose single includes the lyrics "It's the next evolution, can't you see? / AI's not the enemy, it's the key." Van der Velden has been consistent in her message that AI like Norwood is the future of entertainment. She wants "to show the creative industry what is possible with AI at any one point in time" (via Deadline). "We remain passionate about helping people develop AI skills that will ensure they - and the industry - continue to thrive." Meanwhile, plenty of people are ready for the generative-AI bubble to burst. AI is taking over search engines, despite being unreliable; it's expensive, even by movie-making standards; AI data centers are sucking up more water than you think; and AI is partly to blame for why video game consoles are getting more expensive. But at least you'll soon be able to watch a movie starring AI-generated code instead of one of the many great films already available about AI, like Ex Machina, Companion, or Her. AI 'actor' Tilly Norwood steps out in music video that makes Rebecca Black's Friday look like Beyonce's Formation Yeah, no thanks Posts 14

Controversial AI 'actress' Tilly Norwood to make feature film debut

The divisive digital "performer" is about to star in the upcoming Particle6 project titled 'Misaligned'. Get ready to roll your eyes when you read the plot synopsis. The AI nightmare continues as Particle 6, the UK-based company which gave the world the controversial AI-generated "actress" Tilly Norwood, is officially developing its first AI feature film - starring, of course, Norwood. For those of you who haven't heard of Tilly Norwood, she was created last year and dubbed the first AI "actor" by Particle6 and AI "talent" studio Xicoia CEO Eline van der Velden. Norwood came under fire from Hollywood, with actors' union SAG-AFTRA issuing the following statement last year: "It's a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers - without permission or compensation." They added: "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. 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." In March, Norwood also made her music video debut as part of the Tillyverse, with Euronews Culture describing her song 'Take The Lead' as "audio poison", adding that the track has a lyrical "petulance to it, progressively revealing itself as an insipid but alarming piece of AI propaganda." Now, we have Misaligned to look forward to... Billed as a "coming-of-age story infused with existential AI chaos," according to a news release from Particle6, the film will see Norwood play an AI being who is encouraged by a "seductive rogue bot from the dark web" to start developing "desires, impulses and ambitions of her own." "The more terrifyingly human she becomes, the more famous she gets, and, significantly, Tilly begins to develop shame that her very being has been built on the whole of humanity," states the synopsis. "The film will absolutely be funny, chaotic and self-aware - very Tilly," Eline van der Velden said in the press release. "But underneath it, there's something deeper about identity, performance and our very human fears around AI. And yes, art will most definitely be imitating life." In addition to the AI "performer," Misaligned will feature a hybrid production team of real-life writers, editors and directors, whom Particle6 has "retrained and upskilled". "Our work this year has proven something we suspected all along," van der Velden explained. "AI can support premium narrative filmmaking, but only with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgement and time. That's not a limitation of the technology. That's the point." She added: "The filmmakers who thrive in the next decade will be the ones who bring decades of storytelling instinct to these new tools, and 'Misaligned' is where we put that to work at feature scale." No release date for Misaligned has been announced. However, if it's anything like her first single 'Take The Lead', not only will it be another irritating reminder that there are those who take pleasure in devaluing real human artistry, but it will also serve a valuable memo for cinemagoers. Whatever dross you've disliked on screen recently, things can - and are about to - get a whole lot worse.

AI actor Tilly Norwood set to star in first feature film

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting. AI-generated actor Tilly Norwood is set to make her big-screen debut, starring in the film "Misaligned" from the studio that created the polarizing digital thespian. U.K.-based Particle6, which describes itself as an "AI-first and AI-hybrid" developer of movies and TV programming, announced on Monday that it has begun developing the film, in which Norwood, who is not a sentient being, will "take the lead." Particle6 founder Eline van der Velden, herself a former actor, unveiled Norwood to the public in 2025 after her team at the studio developed some 2,000 iterations of the AI tool and gradually taught her to act. Particle6 describes the forthcoming film, which is set in what the studio calls "a surreal digital world located somewhere up in the Cloud," as a "coming-of-age story infused with existential AI chaos." The plotline is self-referential: Norwood plays an AI being with no lived experience but access to other humans' childhoods and backstories. Van der Velden said the studio's goal is to demonstrate AI's capabilities to the film industry and to the wider public. The studio will produce the movie using traditional film professionals, including directors, writers and editors, as well as AI specialists, according to Particle6. "The film will absolutely be funny, chaotic and self-aware -- very Tilly," she said in a statement. "But underneath it, there's something deeper about identity, performance and our very human fears around AI. And yes, art will most definitely be imitating life." Van der Velden also said she wants to prove that "AI can support premium narrative filmmaking, but only with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgment and time. That's not a limitation of the technology. That's the point." Norwood sparked industry backlash when she was first introduced, with movie pros protesting that acting parts should be reserved for humans rather than synthetic performers. In September, the entertainment industry union SAG-AFTRA said in a statement that it doesn't consider Norwood an actor and that "creativity is, and should remain, human-centered."

Tilly Norwood, AI 'actor' denounced by actors union, to star in feature film

The company behind AI "actor" Tilly Norwood announced Monday it's working on a full-length film starring its controversial creation, which has been blasted by a major actors union as "devaluing human artistry." Tilly Norwood was made by the AI company Particle6 Productions, led by comedian and writer Eline Van der Velden. The feature film will be a comedy-drama called "Misaligned" and that it will star Tilly Norwood in a "hybrid production with traditional film and TV professionals -- such as directors, writers and editors -- working alongside AI specialists, with AI training and mentorship built into the production itself," the company said. "Our work this year has proven something we suspected all along," Van der Velden said in a statement. "AI can support premium narrative filmmaking, but only with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgement and time. That's not a limitation of the technology. That's the point." Tilly Norwood has come under fire from Hollywood, including the actors union SAG-AFTRA, which blasted the studio for "using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry." The union emphasized that Tilly Norwood is "not an actor," but "a character generated by a computer program." "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 union said. Particle6 said Monday that for "Misaligned" it plans to work "with leading filmmakers and crew who want to bring their craft into AI production." The movie takes place in the "Tillyverse," described by the production company as "a surreal digital world located somewhere up in the Cloud." It will tell "a coming-of-age story infused with existential AI chaos," Particle6 said. "The film will absolutely be funny, chaotic and self-aware -- very Tilly," Van der Velden said. "But underneath it, there's something deeper about identity, performance, and our very human fears around AI. And yes, art will most definitely be imitating life."

AI 'Actor' Tilly Norwood Lands First Movie Role. Its Creator Responds to the Criticism

Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated "actor" whose creation alone sparked backlash, could soon be coming to a theater near you. The company that created Tilly has announced it will star in a full-length feature. Particle 6, the studio that created Tilly, is making a film called "Misaligned," marking the first time the AI character will star in a movie. The film, which will take place in the so-called "Tillyverse," is a coming of age story about a girl AI bot. "Misaligned" will star Tilly in a "hybrid production with traditional film and TV professionals -- such as directors, writers and editors -- working alongside AI specialists, with AI training and mentorship built into the production itself," the company said, according to NBC News. "Our work this year has proven something we suspected all along," Tilly's creator, Eline Van der Velden, said in a statement, according to NBC News. "AI can support premium narrative filmmaking, but only with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgment and time. That's not a limitation of the technology. That's the point." Speaking with NBC News' Liz Kreutz, Van der Velden denied that Tilly's role in "Misaligned" takes work away from human actors. "Because we would never be making a feature film, so we would never have been casting," she said. But she said Tilly's creation could mark a tipping point, ushering in more and more usage of AI in film. "I don't disagree with any of that, right? I do think a lot of films will be made using AI, but I don't think it will stop live action at all," Van der Velden said. Tilly was unveiled in 2025, sparking criticism from actors, SAG-AFTRA and other industry professionals. "Does it disappoint me? I don't know how to quite answer it, other than to say how terrifying this is," Emily Blunt told Variety in September 2025 before the publication showed her a picture of Tilly. "No, are you serious? That's an AI?" she said. "Good lord, we're screwed. That is really, really scary, Come on, agencies, don't do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection." SAG-AFTRA, the union which represents actors, said it was "opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics" in a statement in September 2025. "SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered," the union said. Van der Velden previously told the UK's Broadcast International her goal is for Tilly "to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman." Some in Hollywood appear to see AI's potential. Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey has licensed his voice for AI-generated bilingual content with ElevenLabs, where he is an investor. Demi Moore said during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, "AI is here" and encouraged Hollywood to "find ways in which we can work with it," per Variety. Val Kilmer, who died in 2025, will be re-created through AI in the upcoming movie "As Deep As the Grave" with the blessing of his estate. Kilmer's daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, said her father was hoping to lay a foundation for how the technology can be used. "My dad was very passionate (that) this is the time, before these laws are written, to make sure that there's a structure for compensation, to make sure that actors get paid on par with what they would get paid if they were physically doing it, and if it creates more jobs in that way, that's wonderful," Mercedes Kilmer told TODAY in April. While the technology exists, it isn't yet clear if moviegoers will be interested in a movie made by AI. "I think it'll depend on whether the product is good," Bloomberg News managing editor and "Screentime" newsletter author Lucas Shaw told TODAY. Moviegoers should not expect to see Tilly in "Misaligned" anytime soon. Van der Velden said the film is in the early stages of production, and most likely won't be finished until next year at the earliest.

An AI With No Body Just Landed a Movie Deal | PYMNTS.com

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) said in a statement issued after Norwood's 2025 debut that Norwood is "a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers -- without permission or compensation" and that "audiences aren't interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience." Particle6 Founder Eline van der Velden has leaned into the controversy at every turn, using Norwood's social media presence to respond to critics and describing the film as "funny, chaotic and self-aware -- very Tilly," according to The Independent. "Our ambition has always been to show the creative industry what is possible with AI at any one point in time," van der Velden added. AI Performers Eliminate the Contract, the Schedule and the Set The commercial case for synthetic performers is not about replacing movie stars. It is about everything else. The secondary characters, background talent, international dubbing, advertising campaigns and merchandise make up the expensive, time-consuming side of the business, precisely because real people come with schedules, contracts and agents. A synthetic performer can be aged, de-aged, placed in a different market's cultural context or redeployed in a sequel without a phone call to anyone. The infrastructure is moving fast. Google, Runway and ByteDance all released new AI video models in 2026 as the technology for generating realistic synthetic performances improved, PYMNTS reported. Netflix acquired InterPositive, an AI filmmaking company founded by Ben Affleck, taking synthetic production tools from the startup market into a studio balance sheet. AI is already embedded in Hollywood's production pipeline -- including de-aging, visual effects, post-production editing and script analysis. Norwood represents the next step. Instead of a tool that helps make a film, she is positioned as the film's performer. Unions Propose a Tilly Tax on Every AI Performer Appearance SAG-AFTRA began formal contract negotiations with studios in February with AI safeguards at the center of the talks, PYMNTS reported. One of the union's proposals is a "Tilly tax," a royalty fee payable whenever an AI-generated performer appears in a production, designed to make synthetic casting carry a real cost, according to Fortune. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law in December requiring advertisers to disclose when an AI-generated performer appears in a commercial, PYMNTS reported. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2602 into law in 2024 that voids contract clauses letting studios use an AI-generated replica of a performer's voice or likeness in place of in-person work unless the performer had legal or union representation when agreeing to it. The rules are arriving after the fact. Norwood already has a music video, a social media presence and now a feature film in development. van der Velden told The Hollywood Reporter that the filmmakers who succeed in the next decade will be the ones who bring storytelling instinct to new tools rather than treating the technology as a replacement for craft. Whether audiences show up for Misaligned will answer one question. Whether the "Tilly tax" passes will answer another. For all PYMNTS AI and digital transformation coverage, subscribe to the daily AI and Digital Transformation Newsletters.

AI "Actor" Tilly Norwood to Make Feature Debut in Coming-of-Age Movie 'Misaligned'

Tilly Norwood, the AI "actor" from London-based outfit Particle 6, has landed her first feature film role. Misaligned is described as "a hybrid production," with traditional film and TV creatives working alongside AI specialists with AI training. Particle 6, founded by Eline van der Velden, says it has retrained and upskilled its own team of 30+ people. "Our work this year has proven something we suspected all along," said van der Velden. "AI can support premium narrative filmmaking, but only with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgement and time. That's not a limitation of the technology. That's the point. The filmmakers who thrive in the next decade will be the ones who bring decades of storytelling instinct to these new tools, and Misaligned is where we put that to work at feature scale." Norwood will play the lead role in Misaligned, a comedy-drama telling a coming-of-age story infused with existential AI chaos. Set inside the "Tillyverse," a surreal digital world located somewhere up in the Cloud, it follows Tilly, an AI being with no real body, no childhood and no lived experience of her own -- only access to everyone else's. "Things spiral when a seductive rogue bot from the dark web convinces her to abandon her guardrails and begin developing desires, impulses and ambitions of her own," reads a plot synopsis. "The more terrifyingly human she becomes, the more famous she gets, and, significantly, Tilly begins to develop shame that her very being has been built on the whole of humanity." The AI entity has proved something of a pinch point for Hollywood and the wider film industry, prompting some of the biggest names to speak out against Norwood and the use of artificial intelligence in cinema. Last year, van der Velden spoke in depth with The Hollywood Reporter about creating the "Tilly-verse" and promised we'd be seeing a lot of Tilly Norwood in 2026."We're still going to want to watch Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds," said the company boss. "We're still going to want to watch any level of actor. Instead of AI actors being in real film and TV, I think what might happen is that you'll get real actors wanting to be in the AI genre. We might do digital twins of them, so that they can also be an AI genre and get money from being in a different genre." "I love the art," she continued, "but I do want to prepare people that I think the tech will get there with good direction. And we've done that. You can direct these computer-generated characters in a certain way, just like you can, in animation, direct Elsa [in Frozen]."