European Leaders Watch Themselves As AI Babies At Tirana Gathering

European leaders were greeted with a bizarre twist at the opening of the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Albania, on Friday: baby versions of themselves created by AI.

A brief video presentation displayed each of the more than 40 leaders transforming into babies who uttered “Welcome to Albania” in their native languages.

Politico notes that the audience received mixed reactions because some people found it funny, while others looked uncertain about their response.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was seen laughing, clearly entertained. In her speech afterward, she thanked Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama adding that the experience made her “feel very young again,”. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen displayed both amusement and confusion during the event, as reported by Politico.

Not everyone was laughing, though. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan kept a straight face throughout most of the video, noted Politico.

The playful video seems to reflect the quirky style of Edi Rama, who is known for his offbeat sense of humor and background as a painter in France, as reported by Politico. Rama demonstrated his recent election victory by kneeling down to greet Meloni in person, as previously reported by The Times.

The baby video gained attention because of its unusual nature but the main reason for holding the meeting in Tirana was meant to focus on critical matters in regards to the Russia-Ukraine War.

Still, the unusual tone of the opening ceremony raised questions about whether such a lighthearted approach was appropriate given the gravity of the summit’s objectives.

With European leaders gathering to discuss escalating tensions and potential new sanctions over the war in Ukraine, the baby-themed video stood in stark contrast to the seriousness that has typically defined previous meetings on the conflict.

As Europe still experiences destabilisation as a result of the war, the choice to begin with humor may prompt reflection on how political communication is evolving in a dystopic direction.