Following the recent death of country music icon Dolly Parton, a growing trend of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated tributes is capturing public attention and raising ethical questions about how society mourns public figures. Among the many homages to Parton, including performances by Jack White, Kesha, and Pitbull, one of the most unusual was a viral AI-created song titled "Run Jolene," which reimagines Parton’s classic hit through a digital voice and animation.
"Run Jolene," credited to an AI-generated project called Country Mile, combines familiar country music motifs with a surreal visual narrative depicting Parton pursuing the fictional character Jolene in a celestial setting. The video features depictions of deceased celebrities including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Kenny Rogers, and the living Cher. The song, although created by an anonymous individual using AI tools, has amassed over 1.4 million views on TikTok and elicited enthusiastic responses from some listeners who praised its creativity despite its synthetic origin.
This AI-produced content is part of a broader phenomenon identified as “deathslop,” whereby AI technologies generate posthumous tributes or representations of deceased public figures using image and video synthesis tools. These AI-generated memorials can range from amusing or nostalgic to unsettling, often blurring the line between homage and exploitation. Online, Dolly Parton’s image has been juxtaposed with other figures such as political commentator Charlie Kirk and civil rights advocate George Floyd, raising concerns from family members and observers alike.
Stella Parton, Dolly’s sister, publicly urged social media users to cease producing “fake AI garbage” and misinformation, describing the content as painful and difficult for the family to accept. The rapid proliferation of these AI-generated creations occurs without consent from the individuals involved or their estates, and there are no established legal protections safeguarding the likenesses of the deceased from unauthorized digital manipulation.
The proliferation of deathslop followed the shutdown of OpenAI’s image-generation app, Sora, in April, which had become notorious for controversial content including violent, racist, and copyright-infringing imagery. In the absence of regulatory frameworks, numerous other AI platforms have since taken over the creation of similar material.
Experts studying AI and digital mourning highlight the complexities this emerging digital landscape presents. Jack Manning, a graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder specializing in AI-generated representations of the deceased—sometimes referred to as “generative ghosts”—notes that it is currently uncommon for people to consent to AI avatars of themselves as part of their end-of-life planning, but predicts this may become a subject of future legal and ethical discussion.
Manning, who lost his sister at a young age prior to the development of these technologies, emphasizes that AI can also offer more personalized forms of remembrance. Unlike generic deathslop, griefbots are AI programs designed to simulate conversations with deceased loved ones by incorporating personal photos, videos, and biographical details provided by users. This approach aims to support bereavement in a more meaningful and individualized way, though the evolving landscape of AI memorialisation remains fraught with ethical and emotional challenges.