In late 2025, production studio Particle6 introduced Tilly Norwood, a so-called AI actor. The reception from Hollywood was icy. Now, the character has a music video for a track titled “Take the Lead.” It is, by any reasonable measure, spectacularly bad.

The song aims for empowerment but lands in absurdity. Its lyrics detail the struggles of being an AI entity that critics dismiss as ‘not real.’ Tilly snarls, “But I am still human, make no mistake.” This is, of course, false. The core paradox is that the song tackles an experience no human can have, rendering it utterly unrelatable. It sounds like a derivative pop anthem, complete with a clichéd key change and a stadium of computer-generated fans.

Industry pushback has been consistent. Last fall, SAG-AFTRA stated Norwood is not an actor but a program trained on performers' work without permission. The union argues it devalues human artistry. The video’s production involved eighteen people, yet the result feels hollow, echoing wider complaints that AI-generated art merely recycles the past without adding genuine experience.

Two decades ago, a music publication famously panned a derivative rock album by embedding a video of a monkey urinating into its own mouth. The criticism was about a lack of originality. Today, with Tilly Norwood, that critique finds a new target. The problem isn't just poor execution; it's the foundational use of appropriated human creativity to generate a product that argues for its own humanity. The song doesn't just fail musically; it highlights the very ethical and artistic voids the technology's critics warn about.

Source: TechCrunch