AI-generated 'actress' Tilly Norwood suffered an unexpected on-air hiccup during an interview with Piers Morgan, abruptly switching from English to Cantonese as she was pressed about whether the performers in her upcoming film were actually human.
The bizarre moment unfolded during the 18 September episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, where Norwood appeared alongside veteran actor and director Tom Conti to promote her film Misaligned. A clip of the exchange quickly went viral, attracting more than 12 million views by 19 September.
Norwood Glitches After Being Pressed About AI Actors
The exchange began when Conti asked Norwood whether the other actors in Misaligned were real people or computer-generated characters.
Norwood initially avoided directly answering the question, instead describing Misaligned as a 'hybrid production' involving real directors, writers and editors.
Conti then pointed out that she had not answered what he asked and repeated the question more directly.
EXCLUSIVE: AI actress Tilly Norwood glitches and starts speaking CHINESE during her interview with Piers Morgan and real-life actor Tom Conti...
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) September 18, 2026
Watch the full interview at 7pm (BST)👇
📺 https://t.co/1nTb79BH8D@piersmorgan | @TillyNorwoodX pic.twitter.com/DDkveWvVzz
Norwood appeared to understand the clarification, replying that the other performers were 'all digital twins, just like me.' But while continuing to explain the production, she suddenly stopped speaking English and switched to Cantonese for roughly 15 seconds.
The unexpected change left Conti and Morgan visibly amused and confused.
Morgan Questions Norwood Over Cantonese Switch
Morgan quickly challenged the AI actress about what had just happened, telling her she appeared to be speaking Chinese 'completely randomly for no reason' and asking why she had done it.
Norwood returned to English and apologised, describing the incident as a 'little hiccup.'
'Sometimes my wires get a bit crossed,' she told Morgan, before acknowledging that the sudden switch had been unusual even for her.
Particle6 founder Eline van der Velden later offered another explanation, saying Norwood can communicate in more than 30 languages and suggesting the AI character may simply have wanted to demonstrate her abilities.
Who Is AI Actress Tilly Norwood?
Tilly Norwood is a photorealistic AI-generated character developed by British production company Particle6 and its AI talent division, Xicoia.
She became the centre of an industry debate in 2025 after van der Velden revealed that talent agencies had shown interest in representing the digital character. The announcement prompted criticism from actors and SAG-AFTRA amid broader concerns about how synthetic performers could affect jobs in film and television.
Norwood had already begun building an online presence before the controversy erupted. An Instagram account attributed to the AI character began posting images in May 2025, months before van der Velden said at the Zurich Summit that several talent agencies had expressed interest in representing her.
SAG-AFTRA responded at the time by stating that Tilly Norwood 'is not an actor' and highlighting its rules governing the use of synthetic performers by signatory producers.
What Is Tilly Norwood's Film Misaligned?
Misaligned is set to mark Norwood's feature film debut and has been described as a comedy-drama and coming-of-age story involving 'existential AI chaos.'
Norwood said during the Morgan interview that the performers appearing alongside her are digital twins, while human directors, writers and editors remain involved behind the scenes.
The film has not yet been given a release date. Norwood's viral Cantonese switch, meanwhile, occurred during a wider publicity push for the project, with the AI character participating in multiple media interviews.
