The creative industry in Malta has criticised PBS for using AI to create the music video for “I Believe”, the Maltese entry for Junior Eurovision 2025.

More than 220 artists and organisations have sent an open letter to PBS, the Maltese national broadcaster, for using AI to create the music video for “I Believe”. This follows on from recent concerns raised by the trade union Solidarjetà and the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA).

In the letter, representatives from the Maltese creative sector described the music video for “I Believe” as “visually uniform and narratively unoriginal” and that the choice to use AI was ignoring the creative talent that already exist in Malta. They emphasised that instead of giving an opportunity to eager creative professionals, the decision was a blow to the Maltese creative sector, which is already struggling for resources and recognition.

The letter highlighted the importance of using and promoting local talent. The music video for “Serving”, the Maltese entry for Eurovision 2025, was recently nominated for Best Music Video at the Eurovision Awards. The video was directed and shot by an all Maltese team.

The letter urges PBS to engage meaningfully with Solidarjetà, MEIA and industry professionals to create guidelines that prevent AI from displacing human work or lowering artistic standards. If AI goes unregulated, people like Eliza Borg, who is representing Malta at Junior Eurovision 2025, could be at risk of losing work in the future.

PBS has yet to respond to this open letter.

Eliza Borg will represent Malta at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Tbilisi with “I Believe”.

Image source: PBS | Source: Malta Independent

Malta in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Malta debuted in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 and has gone on to win the contest twice. In 2013, on their return to the competition in Kyiv, Gaia Cauchi won the contest with “The Start”. She was the first winner of a Eurovision event for Malta. In 2015, Destiny Chukunyere took victory in Sofia with the song “Not My Soul”. The country has hosted the contest twice, the first time in 2014 and then again in 2016.

Posted by:Neil Farren

Neil is from Ireland but has lived in several countries around Europe. He has has been an editor for Eurovoix since May 2017. He has been following the Eurovision Song Contest since 2005 and attended every contest as press since 2019. He also follows other Eurovision contests, such as the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which he has watched since the very first edition in 2003.