Credit: DisneyDolly Parton wants no part of artificial intelligence and, in fact, does not want the use of advanced technology to trap her soul on Earth after her death, which she fears it might.
While many people in the world will never have to worry about the possibility of AI somehow keeping their spirit on Earth after they have shuffled off this mortal coil, Dolly Parton is one of the select few who does. In a recent interview with The Independent to promote her forthcoming album Rock Star, Parton revealed that she was at the point of having to decide whether she was interested in developing an AI hologram of herself to perform in her stead.
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Dolly Parton Thinks Her Legacy Is Secure
However, Dolly Parton seems pretty set against it, saying, “I think I’ve left a great body of work behind,” she said. “I have to decide how much of that high-tech stuff I want to be involved [with] because I don’t want to leave my soul here on this earth…I think with some of this stuff, I’ll be grounded here forever… I’ll be around, we’ll find ways to keep me here.”
Honestly, it is pretty difficult to argue with that, considering that Dolly Parton has recorded 48 studio albums, four collaborative albums, nine live albums, and an estimated, staggering 222 compilation albums. The Queen of Country has also starred in 12 feature films, made literally hundreds of TV appearances (including with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel), built her own theme park, and become one of the most beloved figures in show business.
So, it is probably fair that she doesn’t think an AI hologram is all that necessary.
Many Iconic Musicians Are Developing AI Shows
However, it would not be surprising if she actually did end up risking her immortal soul for AI holograms. Many of her peers in the music industry have been working to create AI-driven versions of their stage shows, notably Abba with the Abba: Voyage concert, which features AI holograms of the younger versions of the band’s four members and the late Whitney Houston with An Evening with Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Tour, which toured Europe and had a Las Vegas residency.
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Musicians like Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and Elton John (who is currently on a farewell tour from performing live) have expressed interest in extending their live appeal (and income) with AI holograms and staged music. None of that for Dolly Parton, however.
Of course, Dolly Parton is famously humorful and also opined that her own intelligence was “artificial,” so who’s to say? Never change, Dolly.