Los Angeles, CA (August 24, 2026)—Seven-time Grammy Award-winning producer Dr. Dre came out in favor of AI in the music production process in a recent New York Times interview, saying, “I think the only people that see it as a threat are the people who have trouble creating.”
Dre was interviewed by The New York Times alongside Jimmy Iovine, his longtime business partner, who offered a similar opinion, saying that there are “a lot of closet AI producers out there.” Dre responded, “That’s a good way to put it. They’re using it, they just don’t want to admit it.”
Dre is also quoted as saying, “I’m embracing it. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen with this.” Just like others in the record industry—and some big names in the film industry—have previously said on the record, Dre considers AI a tool. He uses it “to see what it would do with what I just did,” he explains.
Iovine, who started out as an engineer and producer before becoming a record executive and co-founding Beats Electronics and Beats Music, acquired by Apple 12 years ago for a reported $3 billion, says that he doesn’t see a downside to using AI. He told the interviewer, “There will be some crappy music. There’s crappy music now. In the studio, when gifted people have AI, they’re going to make better records.”
While Dre is not quoted as naming any specific AI tool in the article, he also says, “I had a discussion with a few people a few days ago. They were against AI and I’m like, ‘OK, you sound like the person that would have been against the drum machine when it came out.’ Or synthesizers, right? It’s a new tool for creativity. Some people are afraid of learning new things.”
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The use of AI, especially generative AI, in music is currently being hotly debated. Apple Music and Spotify both recently announced that they will soon begin flagging AI content on their streaming platforms. The Recording Academy allows AI-assisted music to be considered for Grammy Awards but draws the line at purely AI-generated music and AI-only vocals. The organization advocates for the NO FAKES Act, legislation that would establish a federal right protecting against the cloning of an artist’s—in fact, anyone’s—voice, image or likeness.
