Natalie Grant warns Church on use of AI to shape spirituality

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Saturday, September 26, 2026

Veteran contemporary Christian artist and nine-time Grammy nominee Natalie Grant has warned against the use of artificial intelligence in the Christian music industry to shape spirituality and says the rise of the technology will create a demand for live performances.

“AI is a beautiful tool. Used in the right, responsible way [it] can really help. But it can be incredibly dangerous when all you have to do is just punch in a couple of prompts, and it is spitting out something that's helping to shape someone's spirituality, shape their experience with Jesus. We still need us for that,” the “King of the World” singer said during a recent appearance on "The Kent Ingle Podcast."

“I think that where I see it going is we're going to have to be really careful that we are helping steward a movement, that is not allowing AI to direct where the Church is going, but instead we are directing how AI is used and assisting us to where the Church is going,” she told the podcast’s co-hosts, Southeastern University President Kent Ingle and the university’s Senior Vice President for Advancement and Innovation Michael Steiner.

Grant, who has spent nearly three decades in Christian music, has warned for years about the need to keep AI in check.

She worked with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to enact the state’s Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, known as the ELVIS Act, which he signed in March 2024. The law bars the unauthorized use of a person’s voice, name, photograph or likeness, including AI-generated imitations. Violators can face criminal charges and civil lawsuits.

Earlier this month, AI music startup Suno launched a suite of AI models in partnership with record companies Warner Music Group and BMG that allow users to generate new music inspired by the licensed music of participating artists, Reuters reported.

AI-generated music is also landing on Christian and gospel charts, with The New York Times reporting last month that more than a dozen AI-produced tracks have landed on the Billboard charts since 2022.

Despite her concerns, Grant believes competition from AI should inspire singers and other creatives to “steward their gift” because “people are going to start craving real more than ever before.”

“You know, the thing that I keep holding onto because it can be actually really easy to become fearful when you know, especially for people like my husband or producers, songwriters, engineers, mix engineers that have been spending 20, 30 years, this is their career and their jobs are about to get replaced,” she said. “But then the thing I hold on to is I think this is actually going to continue to create a desire, an urgency for live performance.”