Tilly Norwood, a computer-generated character developed by London-based Particle6 and its division Xicoia, experienced a technical malfunction during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored. While responding to actor Tom Conti, the AI switched from English to Chinese for several seconds before returning to English.
The character, created by producer Eline van der Velden, debuted at the 2025 Zurich Film Festival and appeared in the film Misaligned. Following the broadcast incident, the project promoted a paid chat service featuring the character, framing the malfunction as a language-switching error.
The project faces opposition from SAG-AFTRA, which represents approximately 160 000 performers. The union stated that Norwood is a program trained on the work of human actors without authorization or compensation. Actress Emily Blunt has publicly criticized the project, urging agencies to reject it.
This incident occurs amid broader industry scrutiny regarding synthetic media. Recent reports indicate that AI video startups continue to receive significant investment, with one firm reaching a valuation of $5,4 billion last month, despite ongoing technical errors in public demonstrations.
