John Driskell Hopkins of Zac Brown Band Fears AI Impact on Society and Humanity, Battles ALS while Performing

During a recent interview, John Driskell Hopkins from the Grammy Award-winning band Zac Brown Band expressed his fears about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society as its use has significantly increased in recent years. The musician admitted that he is “scared to death” of AI’s implications and shared a concerning interaction between a woman and a chatbot, which demonstrated how the technology could be manipulated for detrimental purposes. Hopkins also emphasized his concern about what AI will eventually do to our world rather than its impact on the music industry alone. He believes that people should continue embracing humanity through the arts as someone wants to come see another person singing and playing live, which cannot be replicated by a robot or an AI-generated performance. Hopkins also opened up about his recent diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and how it has affected him physically on stage while continuing to perform with the Zac Brown Band during their current tour, although he now experiences symptoms such as laughter causing muscle tension or locking legs. Hopkins founded a nonprofit organization called ‘Hop On A Cure’ six months after being diagnosed with ALS in December 2021.