AI actor Tilly Norwood releases a musical video arguing that artificial intelligence can expand creativity in film
Updated
March 13, 2026 2:18 PM
AI Actor Tilly Norwood. PHOTO: INSTAGRAM@TILLYNORWOOD
As Hollywood prepares for this weekend’s Oscars, a different kind of performer is stepping into the spotlight — one that doesn’t physically exist.
Tilly Norwood, described as the world’s first AI actor, has released her debut musical comedy video, Take the Lead. The project arrives at a moment when artificial intelligence has become one of the most contentious topics in the film industry.
The message of the song is simple. AI should not be seen as a threat to actors. Instead, it can become another creative tool. The release also offers a first look at what Norwood’s creators call the “Tillyverse”. It is envisioned as a cloud-based entertainment world where AI characters can live, interact and perform.
Behind the character is actor and producer Eline van der Velden. She is the CEO of production company Particle6 and AI talent studio Xicoia. Van der Velden created Tilly as a way to experiment with how artificial intelligence could be used in storytelling.
The timing is not accidental. The entertainment industry has spent the past few years debating the role AI should play in filmmaking and acting. Questions about digital replicas, automated performances and creative ownership continue to divide artists and studios.
Norwood’s musical video enters that debate with a different tone. Instead of warning about AI replacing actors, the project suggests that the technology could expand what performers are able to do.
The video itself also serves as a technical experiment. The song Take the Lead was generated using the AI music platform Suno. The video was then produced using a combination of widely available AI tools and Particle6’s own creative process.
One of the newer techniques used in the project is performance capture. Van der Velden physically acted out Tilly’s movements and expressions so the digital character could mirror a human performance. But the production was far from automated. According to Particle6, a team of 18 people worked on the video. The group included a director, editor, production designer, costume designer, comedy writer and creative technologist. In other words, the project still relied heavily on human creativity.
“Tilly has always been a vehicle to test the creative capabilities and boundaries of AI,” van der Velden said. “It’s not about taking anyone’s job”. She added that even with powerful tools, good AI content still takes time, taste and creative direction.
The project also reflects how quickly production technology is evolving. Tools that once required large studios are now accessible to smaller creative teams experimenting with AI-driven storytelling.
For Particle6, the character of Tilly Norwood acts as a testing ground. Each project explores how AI performers might be developed, directed and integrated into entertainment. Whether audiences embrace digital actors remains an open question. Many in the industry are still wary of how AI could reshape creative work.
But projects like Take the Lead show another possibility. Instead of replacing performers, artificial intelligence could become part of the creative process itself. In that sense, Tilly Norwood may represent something more than a virtual performer. She is also an experiment in how humans and machines might collaborate in the future of entertainment.
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Rethinking 3D modelling for a world that generates too much, too quickly.
Updated
January 8, 2026 6:32 PM
A hologram in the franchise Star Wars, in Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
MicroCloud Hologram Inc. (NASDAQ: HOLO), a technology service provider recognized for its holography and imaging systems, is now expanding into a more advanced realm: a quantum-driven 3D intelligent model. The goal is to generate detailed 3D models and images with far less manual effort — a need that has only grown as industries flood the world with more visual data every year.
The concept is straightforward, even if the technology behind it isn’t. Traditional 3D modeling workflows are slow, fragmented and depend on large teams to clean datasets, train models, adjust parameters and fine-tune every output. HOLO is trying to close that gap by combining quantum computing with AI-powered 3D modeling, enabling the system to process massive datasets quickly and automatically produce high-precision 3D assets with much less human involvement.
To achieve this, the company developed a distributed architecture comprising of several specialized subsystems. One subsystem collects and cleans raw visual data from different sources. Another uses quantum deep learning to understand patterns in that data. A third converts the trained model into ready-to-use 3D assets based on user inputs. Additional modules manage visualization, secure data storage and system-wide protection — all supported by quantum-level encryption. Each subsystem runs in its own container and communicates through encrypted interfaces, allowing flexible upgrades and scaling without disrupting the entire system.
Why this matters: Industries ranging from gaming and film to manufacturing, simulation and digital twins are rapidly increasing their reliance on 3D content. The real bottleneck isn’t creativity — it’s time. Producing accurate, high-quality 3D assets still requires a huge amount of manual processing. HOLO’s approach attempts to lighten that workload by utilizing quantum tools to speed up data processing, model training, generation and scaling, while keeping user data secure.
According to the company, the system’s biggest advantages include its ability to handle massive datasets more efficiently, generate precise 3D models with fewer manual steps, and scale easily thanks to its modular, quantum-optimized design. Whether quantum computing will become a mainstream part of 3D production remains an open question. Still, the model shows how companies are beginning to rethink traditional 3D workflows as demand for high-quality digital content continues to surge.