Darius Rucker: AI Is ‘Scary,’ PGA Merged With ‘The Enemy’
Darius Rucker was the surprise guest at CMA Fest last night (6/8) at Nissan Stadium. Before he stepped on stage to perform, Darius talked with us backstage about some things in the news these days.
First, Rucker talked about new AI technology and Chat GPT, which can write a song in less than 60 seconds for anyone when just a few words are typed into the prompter. He said, “I think people are gonna use it and everything for songwriting. Technology is just way in front of me, so I don’t think about those things. I’m gonna keep doing things the way I do it and writing songs the way I write songs and let the chips fall where they may.”
He added, “But that AI thing is scary, man. I’m gonna wake up one day and have a robot standing over me. (laugh) It’s scary, but technology can be that way.”
Darius also touched on the recent controversy in pro golf, where the PGA merged with the controversial LIV Golf, which is backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, an entity controlled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
A personal friend to many pro golfers like Tiger Woods, Rucker said when asked about the merger, “I’m a big PGA supporter, and I understand money talks in every business. But I feel bad for Rory (Mcllroy) and Tiger, who turned down huge sums of money to be loyal to the PGA, and the PGA just turns around and merges with the enemy. I feel bad for those guys because they gave away a lot of money because of their principles, and their principles meant nothing in the end.”
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Rucker’s annual benefit concert, “Darius & Friends,” has surpassed the $3.6 million mark with this year’s 14th annual installment on Monday night (6/5). The event is paired with a corresponding golf tournament and silent auction on Tuesday, June 6. This year’s event raised an all-time high of $560,000 for the cause.
The show was sold out well in advance despite the famous friends not being revealed until they took the stage; the guests included HARDY, Jelly Roll, Megan Moroney, and Vince Gill.