AI 'actor' Tilly Norwood glitches during Piers Morgan interview, starts speaking Cantonese
Piers Morgan and AI-generated actor Tilly Norwood during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored. During the conversation, Norwood glitched and began speaking Cantonese. (YouTube/Piers Morgan Uncensored)Social Sharing"Sometimes my wires get a bit crossed, you know?"
That's what AI-generated 'actor' Tilly Norwood said after glitching during a recent appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
While promoting Misaligned, an upcoming film from Particle6, on Morgan's show, Norwood abruptly switched from speaking English to Cantonese.
"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 said in response.
"That was a bit of a curveball even for me," it continued. "It’s usually a pretty smooth ride, but sometimes these things happen."
The clip was later posted to the show's official Instagram page. Norwood, which has its own Instagram account, took it as an opportunity to throw some shade in the comments.
"You try speaking 30+ languages and see if you don't show off occasionally @piersmorganuncensored," it wrote.
Norwood was created by Xicoia, the AI talent division of London-based AI production studio Particle6 Group.
The glitch on Piers Morgan's show came during a conversation about the other actors in Misaligned, which is described as a comedy-drama coming-of-age story set in a surreal digital world called the "Tillyverse."
Academy award-winning actor Tom Conti, who you may know from Reuben, Reuben or more recently Oppenheimer, asked Norwood whether its co-stars were real people.
"Are they really human beings and you’ve been put into the scenes? Or are they all computer-generated images?" Conti asked.
Norwood kind of dodged the question.
"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," it said.
"You didn’t really understand the question. Are the other actors on screen with you real actors or are they computer-generated images?" he asked. "Do you know?"
Norwood took a long pause before beginning to answer, as if it needed to buffer or took awhile to load.
"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…"
But it didn't finish the sentence. Without warning, the AI-generated actor began to speak in Cantonese, prompting a laugh from Conti and Morgan.
AI 'actor' Tilly Norwood isn't real. But the controversial creation will star in a real movie
"I didn’t quite get that. Did you get that, Piers?" Conti said with a chuckle.
"You seem to be speaking Chinese completely randomly for no reason. Why did you do that?" Morgan asked, also laughing.
This all comes as Norwood is in the middle of a press tour. Yes, you read that correctly: an AI-generated actor is doing a press tour, speaking with outlets like CNN, NBC and Variety.
Norwood was introduced as a concept in 2025 and quickly drew criticism from real Hollywood actors and the union that represents them.
The AI actor also recently did an interview with Wired magazine. The outlet says that during the conversation, Norwood argued that AI-generated movies are "good for the environment."
When the Wired journalist asked, "Do Black lives matter?" Norwood responded by saying, "I think all lives matter," a phrase commonly used to diminish the Black Lives Matter movement and dismiss systemic injustices that minority groups face.
Griffin Jaeger is a reporter and producer with CBC's entertainment unit. He also formerly hosted and produced content for The National’s digital platforms. You can reach him at griffin.jaeger@cbc.ca
