Dr. Dre says he’s “embracing” AI in music production in latest interview

Dr. Dre and longtime business partner Jimmy Iovine have addressed artificial intelligence’s growing role in music production, speaking to The New York Times in an interview published on August 23.

Asked directly whether he saw AI as a threat to musicians, Dre said, “I don't see it as a threat. I think the only people that see it as a threat are the people who have trouble creating.”

The rapper compared the current pushback against AI to earlier resistance toward drum machines and synthesisers.

“I had a discussion with a few people a few days ago. They were against A.I. 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.”

“I’m embracing it. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen with this,” he adds.

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He also confirmed he uses AI in his own production process “as a tool to see what it would do with what I just did.”

Iovine echoed the sentiment: “I’m very pro-A.I. in music creation. I don’t see the downside at all. There will be some crappy music. There’s crappy music now. In the studio, when gifted people have A.I., they’re going to make better records.”

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Dre and Iovine have worked together since the 1990s, when Iovine’s Interscope label backed Dre’s solo albums.

They later signed artists including Eminem and went on to co-found Beats Electronics.

As reported by Variety in March, Dre was recently named to Forbes’ 2026 Billionaires list for the first time, with an estimated USD1 billion net worth.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

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