Artificial intelligence is one of the most hotly debated topics in the music industry today. For artists like country star Randy Travis, AI proved a valuable tool after he suffered a stroke that left him unable to speak in 2013. Meanwhile, others—such as Paul McCartney—have warned against the repercussions it could have for composers and writers trying to make a living in the industry. Now, musician and producer Shooter Jennings—son of the outlaw country legend Waylon Jennings—has added his voice to the mix.
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Shooter Jennings Is Prioritizing “Things That Sound Human”
In a post made Monday (March 16) to X/Twitter, Shooter Jennings said that he isn’t chasing perfection in the recording process anymore. In fact, he’s seeking quite the opposite.
“Mistakes, finger-fowls [sic] and wild vocal takes just feel so much more valuable now,” said the “4th of July” singer, 46. “Before, somehow everyone was seeking sonic conformity, and now it seems like we’re seeking things that sound human.”
I find myself leaning more towards imperfections in recordings now because of the existence of AI. Mistakes, finger-fowls and wild vocal takes just feel so much more valuable now. Before, somehow everyone was seeking sonic conformity, and now it seems like we’re seeking things…
— Shooter Jennings (@shooterjennings) March 16, 2026
It’s a valid point. The beauty of art lies in the tangled complexities of humanity, rather than a polished final product.
In a separate post, Jennings clarified that he didn’t take issue with using AI as a tool. In fact, he utilizes it in other areas of his life.
“But to see how commonplace it is to lean on it through multiple layers of the artistic creative and conjuration process made me concerned,” he continued. “Time to double down if you’re doing it the old way, I guess! Signed, the old man.”
I was shocked this last week to start to realize that AI’s use in music is much more pervasive than I thought. I’ve seen a lot of people making acoustic demos of songs they wrote and then feeding them into Suno or other models to make full band demos.
— Shooter Jennings (@shooterjennings) March 19, 2026
I guess I’m more isolated…
He Used Zero AI On His Dad’s New Music: “It Just Makes No Sense
This isn’t the first time Shooter Jennings has spoken out against AI. Last October, he released Songbird, featuring 10 previously unreleased tracks from his father. During an interview on the Drifting Cowboys podcast, he made it very clear that he took special steps not to use AI when creating the album.
“I’m like, ‘Dude… I’m a computer nerd, but I have no idea how to do that,’” he said. “Like, make an AI Waylon track? It just makes no sense.”
Featured image by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
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