AI “actor” Tilly Norwood glitches during Piers Morgan appearance, suddenly speaking Cantonese

Tilly Norwood, the AI “actor” marketed by her creators as a legitimate film star, appeared to short-circuit during a recent interview with Piers Morgan.

Norwood, a white, brunette and brown-eyed AI character presented as an actor, was showcased by Dutch actor and comedian Eline Van der Velden at the Zurich Film Festival last year, and is the property of production company Particle 6. Its initial unveiling drew industry-wide criticism, led by actors Emily Blunt and Natasha Lyonne.

Earlier this year, Variety reported that Norwood was set to “star” in its first movie, titled Misaligned, which was promoted during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored this Friday (September 18).

During the interview, fellow guest Tom Conti asked Norwood about her co-stars, curious if they were real or not. “Are they really human beings and you’ve been put into the scenes,” he asked, “or are they all computer-generated images?”

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In her robotic staccato, Norwood replied over video: “It’s an interesting point, Tom. My film Misaligned is a hybrid production, meaning real directors, writers and editors are still very much involved. It’s not about replacing anyone, but about exploring new ways to tell stories,” Norwood initially responded.

Conti then pressed Norwood for a more direct answer. “Yes, you didn’t really understand the question. Are the other actors on screen with you real actors or are they computer-generated images? Do you know?” he asked.

Norwood replied: “Ah, right. You’re asking about the other actors in Misaligned. They’re all digital twins, just like me. It’s a hybrid production, which means…”

She then paused again before switching to Cantonese for seemingly no reason. “I didn’t quite get that. Did you get that, Piers?” Conti said as he and Morgan laughed. “You seem to be speaking Chinese completely randomly for no reason. Why did you do that?” Morgan asked.

“Oh, my apologies. It seems I had a little hiccup there. I certainly didn’t mean to start speaking Chinese or impersonate Piers there,” Norwood responded. “Sometimes my wires get a bit crossed.”

“That was a bit of a curveball even for me. It’s usually a pretty smooth ride, but sometimes these things happen.”

AI has long been a divisive topic in Hollywood, with Backrooms director Kane Parsons, Guillermo Del Toro, and Pope Leo XIV condemning the use of the technology. Conversely, Martin Scorsese, Neill Blomkamp, Brad Pitt, and Jodie Foster have all endorsed or used AI in their forthcoming projects, receiving criticism from some quarters for their support.

Recently, Star Wars creator George Lucas spoke about AI, claiming there’s “nothing you can do about” its rise. In response, SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin asked Lucas and others to “speak carefully” about AI in future.