This year’s Junior Eurovision, held on November 16th, 2024, was in some ways overshadowed by use of AI in the postcards for the young contestants. Fans objected to training AI on children, as well as to the environmental implications of generative AI–especially when one of the competing songs made its main message protecting the environment and getting kids off their phones.
On November 21st, RTVE clarified to Spanish outlet verTele some outstanding questions regarding the production of the contest, particularly regarding the AI use.
RTVE statement on generative AI
Executive Producer of Junior Eurovision 2024 Ana Maria Bordas confirmed to verTele that the use of generative AI was proposed by RTVE and approved by the Junior Eurovision steering group, rather than coming from the Eurovision organization itself. The team then hired a third-party company, Creative Works London, to generate the postcards themselves.
With regards to generative AI used in performance staging, Bordas explained that staging decisions were made by individual broadcasters. Just as in the adult contest, delegations may create their own staging elements or may commission them from the host broadcaster, in this case RTVE.
The decision to use AI in the production of Junior Eurovision has been criticized by not only English-speaking fans but also fans across Europe, on social media and Eurovision blog sites alike.
Additional statements by RTVE
In addition to the AI use, RTVE also spoke on the change to the voting presentation, in which points were presented by number within the voting system rather than by country (for example, viewers saw one-point ranks from every country distributed at once), with the young spokespeople presenting only the twelve-point rank from a prerecorded video. Bordas explained that this change was made for two reasons: in part to reduce stress on the part of young artists, and in part to speed up the voting process. Junior Eurovision this year was held in a new timeslot, and RTVE needed to safely contain the show within two hours.
About Junior Eurovision 2024
Junior Eurovision 2024 was held in Madrid, Spain, following Sandra Valero’s second-place finish at the 2023 contest in Nice. 2023 winner France was offered first refusal for hosting rights, but declined to host the contest for a second year in a row. Seventeen countries participated this year, including San Marino, who returned for the first time since 2015. Georgia’s Andria Putkaradze won the contest with his song “To my Mom”, bringing Georgia to a record-breaking four Eurovision wins.
Do you agree or disagree with RTVE about AI use? What did you think of the new voting presentation? As always, let us know what you think by commenting down below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Eurovision!
News Source: verTele
Photo Credit: RTVE
Tim J