Kelly Clarkson says she loves AI, but she wants AI-generated artists to have their own chart instead of competing with human singers. The 44-year-old made the comments on the "Las Culturistas" podcast this week, and they have drawn heavy online criticism.
What did Kelly Clarkson say about AI?
She said she is fascinated by AI and enjoys it creatively. She called AI music a fun field that is welcome at the table, and said it can help people who can't make certain things on their own. But she drew a line: "I do not think they should be competing." She compared AI artists charting against humans to letting robots compete in the Olympics.
Why the backlash?
Rolling Stone reports that her positive remarks drew criticism on social media and in the podcast's comments. She also said she is not hardcore against AI, only against it replacing humans.
Her earlier, more critical comment
In another interview published about three weeks earlier, Clarkson said that when it comes to art, "AI doesn't have a soul." She said music needs a person's soulfulness. Rolling Stone also notes that Diplo, Timbaland, Lauv and Paul McCartney have used AI in music.
Clarkson was raised Southern Baptist, and her "soul" comment echoes a common question in Christian music: what makes a song truly human?
She returns as a coach on The Voice this fall.
Related article: Kelly Clarkson Rejoins The Voice for Season 30
