Generative AI is threatening artists in all genres but in Australia's country music heartland, performers know their worth.

Musicians of all ages and abilities have flooded northeastern NSW, putting their humanity and talent on show as technology encroaches on their art.

The 2026 Tamworth Country Music Festival is the first since AI-generated song Walk My Walk topped Billboard's Country Digital Song Sales chart in November and gained millions of listens on Spotify.

In a genre that prides itself on emotional earnestness, the news has shaken country music and raised existential fears about its future.

But as festival-goers sing and dance to buskers down Tamworth's main street, Australia's human country musicians believe they are here to stay.

"AI will never be able to feel what a human can feel," four-time Golden Guitar winner Max Jackson told AAP.

"Those songs will be a flash in the pan.

"They might gain this huge traction and get these huge numbers from the get-go, but I don't think they're going to have a lasting effect on people's lives."

For Jackson, country music is about storytelling and connection.

In some ways, her ballad A Country Heart Can, which is nominated for Song of the Year at the Golden Guitar Awards on Saturday, is the antithesis of AI.

Raw and down-to-earth, the song is almost entirely Jackson and her guitar as she sings about the love she and her husband share.

"It doesn't have all the bells and whistles a lot of other recordings of mine have, but I think that's really connected with people," she said.

Performing in an intimate gig just outside the Tamworth town centre, listeners perched atop hay bales sang along with Jackson before joining her to feed farm animals and take selfies.

But this preference for human connection does not mean artists are blind to the threats of AI.

Nine-time Golden Guitar winner Fanny Lumsden recognised generative AI could have a dangerous impact on the music industry and funnel revenue away from human artists.

In the latter half of 2025, Billboard found at least six AI or AI-assisted artists debuted on its various rankings, including Xania Monet, which was the subject of a bidding war and ultimately signed to a multimillion-dollar deal.

However, Lumsden also believed AI could present an opportunity for live performers.

"What it brings out is that people want more human music and human connection," she told AAP.

"AI will hopefully be a sign for people to go out and find that real connection in a kind of imperfect, live, raw sound.

"There is no other place to get that than a live music venue, so I'm hopeful that it drives is more need for real connection in a real life setting."

Tens of thousands of fans are expected to attend the 2026 Tamworth Country Music Festival, which remains one of Australia's biggest celebrations of live music.

• AAP travelled with the assistance of Tamworth Country Music Festival