Dr. Dre Says He's Embracing AI as 'A New Tool for Creativity'
Rapper and producer Dr. Dre has confirmed he uses AI in his music production, calling it "a new tool for creativity" in a New York Times interview published August 23, 2026. He gave the interview alongside longtime business partner Jimmy Iovine, and both spoke favorably about the technology. As summarized by NME, Dre compared the current backlash to the resistance drum machines and synthesizers faced when they first appeared.
What Dre and Iovine said
Dre said he recently spoke with several people opposed to AI and told them they "sound like the people who were against the drum machine." He added that some critics are simply afraid to learn something new, and that he's embracing the technology and curious to see what comes next.
Asked whether he uses AI in his own production process, Dre described treating it as a tool — a way to see "what it does with something I just made." He said he doesn't see AI as a threat to musicians, arguing that only artists who struggle to create would view it that way.
Iovine was equally direct, saying he strongly supports AI in music-making and sees no downside. He noted that bad songs already exist regardless, and that in the studio, talented people using AI will make better records. The two have worked together since the 1990s and co-founded Beats Electronics, which Apple acquired in 2014 for $3 billion. Iovine had predicted back in 2023 that AI would become "massive" in songwriting, while warning that formulaic approaches might generate popularity without producing anything classic.
The opposition: Lorde, SZA and Jack Antonoff
The music industry's divide over AI continues to widen. Earlier this month, Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter described AI as a way of bypassing the creative process, arguing that typing prompts runs counter to the intuitive process required to make art. Mac DeMarco, SZA and Lorde have all voiced strong criticism of AI's expanding influence, while producer Jack Antonoff condemned musicians who use AI as "godless whores."
Meanwhile, Tyga confirmed his album $tarface was made using AI, likening the backlash to reactions when Auto-Tune first appeared.
Labeling and bans on platforms
A recent study found that around 40% of music released in July 2026 showed detectable AI elements, but nearly a third of artists flagged by detection software denied using the technology. Spotify recently announced it will introduce an AI labeling system, and Apple Music will add labels for AI-generated content later this year; Bandcamp has banned AI-made music from its platform outright.
Dre's recent production work includes Snoop Dogg's 2024 album Missionary, seen as a spiritual sequel to 1993's Doggystyle. He has previously said he doesn't listen to much contemporary hip-hop and dislikes most of what he has heard.