The Black Crowes' singer Chris Robinson has sharply criticized the use of AI in songwriting, calling it lazy bullshit during a recent podcast interview. The band is set to release their new album A Pound of Feathers, recorded traditionally without any AI involvement. Robinson expressed broader concerns about society's embrace of the technology amid global chaos.
The Black Crowes are preparing to release their new album, A Pound of Feathers, on Friday. Recorded in East Nashville with producer Jay Joyce, who also worked on the band's 2024 Grammy-nominated album Happiness Bastards, the LP was made using traditional methods, eschewing AI entirely.
In an interview on Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, singer Chris Robinson and his brother, guitarist Rich Robinson, dismissed AI's role in music creation. “It’s not songwriting. It’s lazy bullshit. Who the fuck are you, that you would walk around like you did something? You didn’t do shit,” Chris Robinson said.
Robinson extended his critique to society's wider adoption of AI, expressing dismay at its popularity. “I find it unbelievable, as I look around our country and the world right now, and as things spiral out of control, as opinions become fact, as people’s fear and ignorance start to overtake their lives, that you’re gravitating toward something even more unreal,” he stated. He advocated for more heartfelt, soulful pursuits over technological advancements, adding, “I could be less interested in fucking technology. You know what? The dentist still sucks. Get back to me when that is better.”
The brothers also rejected AI-generated content like memes, with Robinson preferring musical influences such as Parliament Funkadelic records. “I want advancement in my level of comfort at the dentist more so than like, ‘Evel Knievel riding a llama and jumping across 14 boxes of macaroni,’” he remarked.
During the podcast, hosted by senior music editor Joseph Hudak, the Robinsons discussed returning to Nashville for the album, their upcoming tour with Whiskey Myers, and the Oasis reunion. New episodes of Nashville Now drop every Wednesday on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
