AI "actor" Tilly Norwood has debuted her first single and accompanying music video, signaling the advent of a new entertainment world where AI characters "live, interact, and work" – the evolving "Tilly-verse." The release, from London-based Xicoia Studios, precedes Norwood's official AI acting debut this year and offers a glimpse into this groundbreaking new realm.
Inspired by a recently published essay by Eline van der Velden, Norwood's creator and CEO of production company Particle6 and its AI talent studio Xicoia, "Take the Lead" reflects on last year's extensive backlash across Hollywood following the news that agents were looking to sign Norwood. The music video, released on Tuesday, showcases an AI Norwood singing atop a London rooftop, swinging from a disco ball, taking a bath, and flying through the clouds on a blow-up flamingo – among other captivating activities. A note at the top of the video reads: "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 lyrics include: "When they talk about me, they don’t see the human spark, the creativity … I’m just a tool, but I’ve got life" and "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."
"Take the Lead" was generated using Suno, with the accompanying video created by the team at Particle6 using a suite of readily available AI tools combined with their proprietary creative process. New techniques deployed include performance capture, whereby van der Velden acted out Norwood’s performance.
Van der Velden said: "Tilly is, and has always been, a vehicle to test the creative capabilities and boundaries of AI – not to take anyone’s job. 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.
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."
