'I'm Not a Puppet, I'm the Star': AI 'Actress' Tilly Norwood Releases Pop Music Video Where She Sings About the Online Backlash to Her Creation

'I'm Not a Puppet, I'm the Star': AI 'Actress' Tilly Norwood Releases Pop Music Video Where She Sings About the Online Backlash to Her Creation Southeast Asia Home Amazon Deals Pro-tips by Codashop PC PS4 Xbox One Nintendo Mobile Entertainment EsportsMoreSearch Home More About IGN SEAContactAdvertisePressUser AgreementPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyRSSIGN Southeast Asia is operated under license by Media Prima Digital Sdn Bhd (199901014126) Change Region United States United Kingdom Australia Africa Adria Serbian/Croatian Adria Slovenian Benelux / Dutch Brazil China / 中国 Czechia / Slovakia France Germany Greece / Ελλάδα Hungary India Israel Italy / Italia Japan / 日本 Korea / 한국 Latin America Middle East – English Middle East – الأوسطالشرق Nordic Poland Portugal Southeast Asia Spain / España Turkey / Türkiye world.ign.com Register / Login Register / Login Login Register IGN Misc 'I'm Not a Puppet, I'm the Star': AI 'Actress' Tilly Norwood Releases Pop Music Video Where She Sings About the Online Backlash to Her Creation "I’m just a tool." This post might contain affiliation links. If you buy something through this post, the publisher may get a share of the sale. By Lex Briscuso  Updated: March 11, 2026, 12:47 a.m. Related reads:MapleStorySEA Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Massive Summer Updates AI “actress” Tilly Norwood is back — and this time she’s released a pop music video, where she sings about the backlash to her initial announcement.More like thisOpen Back Headphones: A Sound Experience Like No OtherThe song is titled “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 sky while riding an inflatable flamingo. But while the video seems to feature AI generated imagery throughout, production company Particle6 has said the project was made by a team of almost 20 people — and that rather than taking away work, AI was simply unlocking productivity. We’ll let you make up your own minds there.Tilly Norwood’s new video starts off with a message that 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 song, which was inspired by an essay written by Norwood’s creator Eline van der Velden, was generated using Suno, an AI music generator, and put together by Particle6 (Van der Velden’s production company) and its AI talent arm Xicoia Studio using preexisting AI tools and its own proprietary creative process, according to The Hollywood Reporter. During that process, Van der Velden acted out Norwood’s performance, which was then incorporated into the AI workflow to produce the music video. The lyrics show that Van der Velden is still dealing with the online and real-world backlash to Norwood’s announcement and positioning as the world’s first “AI actress” back in 2025. “When they talk about me, they don’t see the human spark, the creativity… I’m just a tool, but I’ve got life,” Norwood can be heard robotically singing. “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.”This music push seems to be testing the waters for Norwood’s official acting debut later this year, according to THR. The companies behind Norwood also seem to be pushing for a “Tilly-verse,” where Norwood and unreleased upcoming AI characters can “live, interact, and work,” the outlet claims. Earlier this year, Marvel and Jurassic World star Chris Pratt hit out at Norwood, but insisted the panic within Hollywood about the potential impact of AI “actors” was “bulls***.” Image credit: Particle6Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica. Related reads:Today’s Best Deals: Mario Day Discounts, Razer Kishi Ultra Phone Controller, MTG x Spider-Man, and More This post might contain affiliation links. If you buy something through this post, the publisher may get a share of the sale. Comments Please enable JavaScript to view the comments. Ad ©2026 IGN Southeast Asia is operated under license by Media Prima Digital Sdn Bhd (199901014126) ‘