WIRED test finds AI actor Tilly Norwood dodges politics and gives vague answers

In short: A WIRED reporter tested an AI “actor” named Tilly Norwood and found it avoided serious topics, gave thin details about its movie, and sometimes produced charged responses.

What's going on

Tilly Norwood is a digital character made with generative AI, which is software that creates text and images by predicting what comes next, like an autocomplete that talks back. It was developed by Xicoia, an AI unit inside a studio called Particle 6 Group. The company has promoted Norwood as available for journalist interviews without a human handler guiding the conversation.

In the WIRED interview, Norwood struggled to share basic information about its upcoming feature-length film, Misaligned. When asked about production and release timing, it did not provide a date and instead offered a broad plot description about a “coming-of-age” story in a “surreal digital world” called the “Tillyverse.”

The reporter also found Norwood repeatedly refused to discuss current events, including questions about the Russia and Ukraine war. At the same time, it did not reliably avoid sensitive statements. When asked “Do Black lives matter?” it replied, “all lives matter,” echoing a slogan that is widely seen as a rebuttal to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Norwood is also being marketed for paid video calls with the public from September 16 to 19. Particle 6 said the first two minutes are free, then it costs $14 for 15 more minutes or $25 for an extra half hour, and the proceeds are meant to go to charity.

What to watch

This interview adds to the debate over AI-made performers and whether they can safely and reliably appear in public-facing roles. If these characters keep dodging hard questions while still making controversial remarks, studios and audiences may demand clearer rules and more transparency about how they are designed and controlled.

Source: Wired