Dolly Parton’s sister pleads for end to ‘AI garbage’ posts after singer’s death

Dolly Parton's sister has called on fans to stop sharing "AI garbage" and fake posts following the country singer's death on August 25 at the age of 80. In an Instagram post, Stella Parton thanked those showing genuine support for her sibling and her family, but expressed that the "tremendous amount of AI and endless garbage being posted" has been challenging to absorb.

Similar pleas have been made by families of deceased celebrities, such as Robin Williams' daughter Robin Williams Jr. and Zelda Williams, who asked fans to stop sharing fake AI-generated videos of her father. Amy Redford, Robert Redford's daughter, also spoke out over AI content created to pay tribute to the actor after his death in September.

Parton emphasized in her Instagram post that there has been a deluge of AI and "garbage" posts, and that those exploiting the loss and tragedies of others will move onto the next "stampede of misinformation." She encouraged people to look to her sister's life as an example of tolerance and mutual respect, rather than focusing on clever comments, fake AI garbage, or snarky tweets.

The rise of AI tools capable of quickly generating text, images, video, or audio has led many to create tribute posts for departed stars. Since Parton's death, dozens of AI-generated songs, images, and videos have appeared online. Some of these AI-created tributes have been shared by high-profile figures, such as US President Donald Trump, who posted an AI-generated image of himself and Parton on his Truth Social platform.

However, these AI-generated tributes have faced criticism for being "incredibly weird" and "a violation." A YouTube video by Miley Cyrus, described as a "heartfelt fan-made tribute by Miley Cyrus" to her godmother Dolly Parton, has garnered over 1.5 million views. Despite the controversy surrounding such AI-generated tributes, many fans have still thanked Cyrus for the "perfect tribute."