Sheryl Crow Shares Her Disdain for AI in New Song “Evolution”

Known for hit songs like “All I Wanna Do,” “Strong Enough,” “My Favorite Mistake,” and “Soak up the Sun,” Sheryl Crow has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and is a 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. With a career spanning more than 40 years, the singer’ still produces music as’s set to release her 11th studio album, Evolution, soon. On one single from the album, Crow expresses her worries about the rise of artificial intelligence with the help of Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. 

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For months, experts, celebrities, writers, and now Crow have shared their thoughts on AI. While AI was once nothing more than a boogyman used in science fiction films and novels to warn about a doomed future, that fantasy has now become a reality. Just over the last year, AI proved itself to be a crucial tool to help propel humanity into the future. But some view the new technology to be “unsettling.”

[Don’t Miss Your Chance to See Sheryl Crow Perform Live]

Speaking about a future where her sons are surrounded by AI, Crow explained how her worries led to her new song “Evolution.” She said, “Stephen Hawking [late theoretical physicist] worried that AI would replace humans. As a mom, I want to leave a better world for my children, a healthier planet – is AI going to be a benevolent partner in these goals or not? It’s unsettling, and this song deals with those anxieties.”   

Sheryl Crow Praises Tom Morello

Processing those worries through music, Crow eventually recorded “Evolution” and sent it to producer Mike Elizondo, who has worked with artists like Keith Urban, Dr. Dre, and Maroon 5. Claiming the song was “bigger” than her, the producer brought the song to life thanks to Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello. 

[RELATED: American Songwriter January/February Cover Story: Sheryl Crow Pours Honesty and Vulnerability into Her Music—“Telling the Truth Feels Instinctual”]

Listening to Morello’s guitar solo, Crow praised the finished product and his masterful contribution. “To me, Tom’s playing comes from some other planet. It’s a cool bit of kismet that we were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the same year, and his solo on “Evolution” just ejects you into space.”

With “Evolution” already gaining praise from fans, the full album, also called Evolution, hits shelves on March 29, 2024.  

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(Photo by Michael Loccisano/WireImage)

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