Given that Dolly Parton has spent most of her 77 years in the music industry, the singer has seen all the fades come and go over the decades. Although she remains the same as she’s accepted an impressive 11 Grammy Awards, the legend recently discussed the popularity surrounding AI and how it is working itself into people’s lives. While AI is somewhat new, artificial intelligence already proved itself numerous times and seems to only be growing with each passing week. Known for her inviting nature, it appears Parton isn’t ready for AI as she recently labeled it a “weapon.”
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Not A Fan Of AI
Sitting down with The Hollywood Reporter, the topic of AI integrating into the music industry eventually landed at the feet of Parton. When debating how AI could be used to recreate voices from singers who passed away, like Elvis Presley, Parton said, “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 note, Parton shared her hesitation about AI and referred to it as the mark of the beast. “That scares me to death. That’s like the mark of the beast.”
When discussing AI used after she dies, Parton admitted to not wanting to be replicated. “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 added, “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
While the future of AI is uncertain, Parton continues to prove herself as a legendary performer. Her Thanksgiving halftime show at the Dallas Cowboys-Washington Commanders game in Dallas received a staggering 44.2 million viewers. It was Parton’s second time performing on a football field in less than week—she also appeared during halftime of the November 18 college football game between the University of Georgia and University of Tennessee.
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images for ABA
