Then the coronavirus arrived.
Eurovision was sadly canceled but the organizers of the AI song contest bravely chose to go ahead.
And TNW bagged an exclusive ticket to the show.
We have everything here, promised host Lieven Scheire.
Everything for a wonderful Eurovision evening.
They even had a green room, where the stars mingled backstage.
40% off TNW Conference!
A friend of mine said, is there a team from Austalia?
Why didnt they call themselves Good AI mate?'
The Aussie contenders, Uncanny Valley, laughed politely.
It returned pertinent lines like the power of fire, candles of hope, and lu-lu la love.
Scheire thought that the work was a beautiful ballad.But would the judges agree?
Every song to me is a hit song, she claimed.
The jurys marks would make up 50% of the total points.
The other half would be decided by an audience vote.
Brentry added lyrics from an AI songwriter system calledThese Lyrics Do Not Exist.
Collins and Carlise suggested holograms and robots, butthe best reply came from their son: dancing guitars.
His answer exposed the one thing about Eurovision that the AI contest couldnt replicate: spectacular live shows.
But she quickly realized a concert would be a step too far.
That was was just too big and too complicated, she said.
Thats why we decided on really focusing on the music, and not on the performance part.
Van Dijk was also keen to get the fans involved including aman known as Dr. Eurovision.
The organizers even got the input of a former Eurovision winner:1969 champion Lenny Kuhr.
With some songs, I was really surprised, she politely observed.
Particularly impressive to my ears wasIll Marry You, Punk Comeby Germanys Dadabots x Portrait XO.
And the judges loved it:
Douze points.
The group topped the leaderboard ahead of the final round of voting.
The Australians needed 9.4 points to take the top spot.
This is the moment of truth you guys, said co-host Emma Wortelboer.
Uncanny Valley; you guys got: nine point…….eight points from the public vote!
Wortelboer was asked if the songs were good enough for the original Eurovision.
Well, to be completely honest I think they can, she said.
Have you ever listened to the song festival?
I have and I think the AI version is even better.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
