Scarlett Johansson vs. OpenAI: ChatGPT's AI assistant "Sky" is supposed to use Johansson's voice without her consent
US actress Scarlett Johansson, who spoke the voice of an AI assistant in the 2013 science fiction film "Her", had already turned down an offer from OpenAI last year to lend her voice to the ChatGPT voice assistant "Sky". Despite renewed attempts at persuasion by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Johansson stood by her decision.
Last week, OpenAI finally unveiled its AI voice - and it is surprisingly reminiscent of Johansson's role in "Her". The actress doesn't seem happy about it at all and has issued the following statement, which was published on X (formerly Twitter) via Bobby Allyn of the news portal NPR:
Statement from Scarlett Johansson on the OpenAI situation. Wow: pic.twitter.com/8ibMeLfqP8
— Bobby Allyn (@BobbyAllyn) May 20, 2024
In response to the incident, OpenAI withdrew the controversial Sky voice and replaced it with the voice of another actress, whose identity was not disclosed for privacy reasons. According to OpenAI, the previous voice was also not an imitation of Johansson, but belonged to another person.
Scarlett Johansson has since taken legal action and is demanding transparency about the development process of the AI voice. In the era of AI and deepfakes, the outcome of this legal dispute could have far-reaching consequences and set a precedent for other artists. Johansson made a detailed statement on the issue exclusively on NPR. A heated discussion on this topic has also already flared up on Reddit.
The voice can be heard in the following video:
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