Dolly Parton Expresses Skepticism About AI in the Music Industry

At 77 years old, with a tenure in the music industry just as long, Dolly Parton has witnessed countless trends rise and fade away. With 11 Grammy Awards to her name, the renowned singer has recently voiced her thoughts on the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in the music scene, expressing a cautious stance regarding its integration into personal aspects of life. Despite her well-known warm and welcoming demeanor, Parton has taken a critical perspective on AI, likening it to a 'weapon'.

Not A Fan Of AI

In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Parton tackled the subject of AI melding with the music industry, focusing especially on its capability to replicate the voices of late artists, such as Elvis Presley. Awakening skepticism, she stated, 'I ain’t going to consider AI on nothing that’s human being. Because I think that is a weapon and a tool that can be scary. I think it’s going to be great for a lot of things, like science and medicine and many, many things, but not to replace human beings.'

On a personal level, Parton has strong reservations about AI, referring to its potential impact as 'the mark of the beast.' She articulated a fear of AI, 'That scares me to death. That’s like the mark of the beast.'

Regarding the prospect of AI recreating her presence after she's gone, Parton is clear about her stance. 'It’s like you can’t remake a person. I don’t want that. I want to just leave a body of work behind.' She emphasizes the importance of human uniqueness, 'I think all this stuff can be great, used in the right way. But not to replace voices and writings and not to replace a human being that belongs to God.'

Halftime History

As the future of AI remains a topic of debate, Parton's status as an iconic artist remains unchallenged. She attracted 44.2 million viewers during her Thanksgiving halftime performance at a football game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders. This event marked Parton's second halftime appearance in less than a week; she had previously performed at a college football game between the University of Georgia and University of Tennessee.

AI, music, technology