AI actor Tilly Norwood will debut in feature film Misaligned

The AI actor Tilly Norwood, previously denounced by the American actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, is set to debut in feature film Misaligned.

The film was announced yesterday by the London-based and AI-focused studio who created Norwood, Particle 6.

It is described as a comedy-drama that tells a coming-of-age story “infused with existential AI chaos.”

Misaligned is set inside what Particle 6 calls the “Tillyverse,” a surreal digital world located "somewhere up in the cloud." It follows Tilly, the AI being with no real body, no childhood, and no lived experiences, but access to everyone else’s. In the film, a rogue bot from the dark web convinces her to abandon guardrails and develop desires and ambitions of her own.

“The film will absolutely be funny, chaotic and self-aware – very Tilly,” said Eline Van der Velden, CEO and founder of Particle 6. “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.”

The film has sparked widespread industry backlash.

"I don't think anyone in the entire world wants to see this," wrote writer and director Spyder Dobrofsky on X.

“Reminder that none of this is real,” wrote actor and filmmaker Luke Barnett on X. “Don’t let the headlines scare you, this is all a scam. The industry isn’t hiring Tilly Norwood.”

The announcement comes just under a year after the Particle 6 team received backlash over reports that talent agents were seeking to represent the AI actor. Subsequently, Van der Velden issued a public statement defending the AI actor as a “piece of art."

Particle 6 says the film is being designed as a “hybrid production,” using traditional film and TV professionals, including directors, writers and editors, working alongside AI specialists.

“Our work this year has proven something we suspected all along, AI can support premium narrative filmmaking, but only with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgement and time,” said Van der Velden.

Particle 6 has not yet set a release date for Misaligned.