, the AI-generated performer at the centre of a growing debate over artificial intelligence in Hollywood, had an unexpected moment during an interview with Piers Morgan when she suddenly switched from English to .
Norwood was appearing on Uncensored alongside Oscar-nominated actor Tom Conti when the unusual exchange took place. Conti was asking her about Misaligned, the upcoming feature film in which Norwood is set to appear, when her response abruptly changed direction.
The moment began with a fairly straightforward question. Conti asked whether the other performers appearing alongside Norwood in the film were real actors or computer-generated characters.
Norwood initially answered in , saying, “They’re all digital twins, just like me. It’s a hybrid production, which means….”
She then stopped and began speaking in Cantonese.
The unexpected language switch left Conti visibly amused. “I didn’t quite get that. Did you get that, Piers?” he asked Morgan.
Morgan then questioned Norwood about the sudden change, asking why she had started speaking “completely randomly”.
Norwood returned to English and described the incident as a technical “hiccup”.
“It seems I had a little hiccup there … sometimes my wires get a bit crossed. That was a bit of a curveball even for me. It’s usually a pretty smooth ride, but sometimes these things happen,” she said.
The exchange was quickly picked up online, with the apparent glitch drawing attention precisely because Norwood is being presented as a new kind of AI performer capable of holding conversations and appearing in films.
However, her creators have pushed back against describing the incident as a malfunction. Particle6 founder and chief executive Eline van der Velden told Deadline that Norwood can communicate in more than 30 languages and suggested the unexpected switch may have been an attempt to show off that ability.
“Tilly can be a bit of a show-off,” van der Velden said, suggesting that the AI character may have wanted to demonstrate her language skills.
Norwood is a photorealistic AI character created by British production company Particle6 and its AI talent division, Xicoia. She has been promoted as an AI performer rather than a traditional human actor, a distinction that has already sparked criticism from parts of the industry.
Her first feature project, Misaligned, is being developed by Particle6 as a hybrid production. The film is described as a -drama and coming-of-age story set in a digital world, with Norwood playing an AI character. Traditional filmmakers and AI specialists are expected to work together on the project.
Norwood’s appearance on Morgan’s programme comes during an unusually busy week of publicity. She has taken part in interviews and a press junket while her creators promote both the character and Misaligned.
During the Morgan interview, Norwood also recited Shakespeare and discussed the question of whether AI performers should compete alongside human actors at awards ceremonies. She said she believed digital and real actors should not compete in the same categories. The full interview was scheduled for release later on Friday.
For Norwood, the brief detour into another language was presented as a minor “hiccup”. For viewers watching an AI performer being tested in a real-time , it offered a very visible reminder that the technology is still capable of producing surprises.
Particle6 has not indicated that the incident will affect Misaligned, which remains in development.
