The Dutch have moved on from AI-generated actresses to AI-generated judges. The Regio Songfestival (Regional Song Festival) has unveiled a new judge — and they’re made of code.
You can think of The Regio Songfestival as a kind of Eurovision, but instead of countries putting forward performers, each of the Netherlands’ 13 broadcasting regions will have a contestant.
Usually, each region will also provide a judge for the festival, but this year, there will be a fourteenth judge: Robin.
Something new
Robin will be the song festival’s first non-binary AI-generated judge.
The NOS reports that, according to his creator, Arthur Marres, Robin provides “a modern twist without compromising the original format.”
AI-gegenereerde 'Robin' nieuw jurylid voor Regio Songfestival https://t.co/uD4s7ccffB
— NOS (@NOS) October 8, 2025
Only to judge song lyrics
Marres clarifies that Robin won’t be judging the music in the traditional sense, however.
“AI isn’t yet capable of judging a performance. If someone messes up a dance step or forgets the lyrics, AI won’t recognise it as a mistake.”
Instead, Robin will be responsible for analysing the song lyrics and giving them points based on a “carefully written prompt.”
What exactly this prompt will be is unclear. But apparently, Robin will be considering factors such as the song’s authenticity and regional character.
Another pro of using Robin? They don’t suffer from human bias. “Robin is the one without self-interest,” Marres tells L1 Nieuws.
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