Stella Parton has asked fans to stop sharing AI-generated tributes to her late sister, Dolly Parton, describing the content as "garbage" and misinformation.

Stella Parton has issued a public plea for social media users to stop posting AI-generated content following the death of her sister, country music legend Dolly Parton. Dolly Parton died on August 25 at the age of 80. In an Instagram post, Stella Parton stated that the "tremendous amount of AI and endless garbage" being shared has been difficult for her family to process during their period of mourning.

Family's response to online content

Stella Parton expressed that her family is subjected to "incredible pressure and insensitivity" from strangers due to their public lives. She criticized those she described as being in the business of exploiting the loss and tragedies of others, urging people to focus on her sister's legacy of tolerance rather than "fake AI garbage" or "snarky tweets."

Context of AI tributes

The use of AI to create tributes for deceased celebrities has drawn criticism from other families, including those of Robin Williams and Robert Redford. While some AI content includes disclaimers, such as a widely viewed fan-made tribute to Dolly Parton featuring a voice styled after Miley Cyrus, other images—including one depicting the late singer without makeup—have been labeled as violations by social media users.

Dolly Parton's previous views on AI

Dolly Parton previously expressed concerns regarding the technology. In a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she noted that while AI could be beneficial for science and medicine, the prospect of it replacing human voices and creativity "scares" her, stating that a person cannot be remade.