The conversation between Carney and an AI-generated Parr was part of the #WeSeeYou campaign by Three UK
Three UK has used AI to bring back 1920s footballing legend Lily Parr for what it describes as a “groundbreaking” interview.
Through the power of AI, former England Lioness and Chelsea midfielder Karen Carney appears to meet and converse with one of her footballing heroes, Lily Parr, who was estimated to have scored more than 960 goals in her career.
The spot was made as part of Three’s #WeSeeYou initiative in partnership with Chelsea FC Women that recognises and champions women in football.
The three-minute interview launched on International Women’s Day and was developed by Generation - Three’s in-house agency – working closely with Mischief PR and Three’s in-house PR, social and sponsorship teams.
The VFX and post-production work was completed by Territory Studio, while Irresistible Studios handled the production.
Aislinn O’Connor, marketing director at Three UK & Ireland said: “At Three, we are honoured to bring Lily Parr’s story to life using the very latest AI technology. By paying homage to the enormous legacy Lily has given us and laying foundations for so many sportswomen, we hope today’s launch inspires the next generation of female talent. Her message is as true today as it was then – we need more action to support women of all ages in sport. Through our partnership with Chelsea FC Women, Three’s #WeSeeYou Network is now in its third season and continues to grow, champion and provide opportunities for the all-too-often hidden women and the beautiful game.”
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Carney added: “For many years, women’s football faced challenges to be seen and celebrated, which would have given so many incredible players the opportunity to play and help grow the game. Legends like Lily Parr paved the way, and working with Three and the #WeSeeYou Network to bring her story to life has been an incredible experience. I was proud to be a part of this campaign, and I hope it inspires future generations to keep pushing forward.”
How Three reimagined Lily Parr
Women’s football historian and professor of sport at the University of Wolverhampton, Jean Williams, was brought in to work with Three on the recreation of Lily Parr. By feeding the AI a series of archival information from Lily Parr and those who knew her, she helped to inform the personality and character of the AI responses.
The AI-powered version of Lily Parr was then brought to life using advanced digital motion technology combined with archival material and personal accounts to share her story with new audiences, with the help of Territory Studio.
The process began with restoring archival photos and footage of Lily to reveal her facial features in high resolution, bringing her likeness back into vivid detail. Multiple layers of advanced AI techniques were then applied to reconstruct her features into a high-resolution, colourised portrait. Where AI was unable to maintain authenticity or achieve the desired composition, traditional digital artistry was employed to refine and finalise the image, with careful detailing and finishing touches.
To achieve the final result, Three partnered with an actor, whose performance helped capture Lily’s essence and enhance her digital recreation. This collaboration was paired with sophisticated AI networks, including facial landmark detection, and 3D mapping. The seamless integration of these technologies enabled an ultra-realistic face-swap.
Greg Farrington, senior creative, Generation at Three said: “Taking ‘We See You’ literally, we set out to recreate Lily as authentically as possible - her appearance, her stories, her voice. To bring this vision to life, we partnered with Territory Studio, who meticulously reconstructed her likeness using archival imagery and pioneering AI. For the script, we developed a custom Lily GPT, co-created and fact-checked by football historian Jean Williams. To ensure her personality and accent felt genuine, we collaborated with a method actor, as well as a voice and body language coach. And who better to share this 1920s legend’s story - than 2020s icon and women’s football champion Karen Carney.”
Dorian Thomas, ECD at Territory Studio, added: “As a creatively driven design studio, Territory embrace AI as a powerful tool that enhances our artistic process. This project was particularly unique, requiring us to carefully select the right tools while also understanding AI’s limitations and determining where traditional skills were still essential. One of our biggest challenges was that this couldn’t be executed as a straightforward digital face replacement (DFR) using deepfake technology—we simply didn’t have the necessary data. To overcome this, we had to take a single image and process it to meet modern standards. This image was then fed through our bespoke AI model to generate a viable DFR. Initially, we faced several constraints from a live-action perspective, but as we refined our model, many of these limitations disappeared, allowing the director and actress greater freedom in their performance.”
Ben Walker, executive creative director, Generation at Three said: “AI is often framed as a threat to creativity, but this project shows its real strength lies in expanding what’s possible. Without it, Lily Parr’s story - her likeness, her presence, her impact - would have remained firmly in the past. By blending advanced technology with deep human craft, historical research, and performance capture, we’ve been able to bring her back to share her own legacy. This wasn’t about cutting creatives and their skillsets out of the process; it was about giving them the tools to do something that’s never been done before. AI became the bridge between history and today, helping us honour Lily Parr in the most authentic way possible.”
The interview was produced and filmed by Irresistible Studios, directed by Melody Maker.
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