Scarlett Johansson-like voice removed from ChatGPT following actor's legal action
Scarlett Johansson has initiated legal proceedings against artificial intelligence company OpenAI. The dispute centers around a voice feature named "Sky" in OpenAI's ChatGPT update, which Johansson claims bears an uncanny resemblance to her own voice. The actor stated that she was approached by OpenAI nine months ago to voice its AI system but declined for "personal reasons." Johansson said she was "shocked" and "angered" when she heard the voice option, noting it "sounded so eerily similar to mine."
In detail: Events that led to legal action
Johansson revealed that Open AI's CEO Sam Altman approached her in September to lend her voice to ChatGPT4.0. Nine months later, the actor was taken aback when friends, family, and the public noted the striking similarity between her voice and "Sky." This led to Johansson's decision to take legal action against OpenAI. On Monday, OpenAI took down a highly advertised voice feature in response to extensive criticism and comparisons to the "flirtatious, feminine voice" similar to Johansson.
'Sky' AI drew comparisons to Johansson's 'Her' character
Researchers interacted with the AI assistant to showcase Sky's friendly and responsive demeanor, drawing immediate comparisons from the media to Johansson's AI companion character in the 2013 film Her. Even Altman suggestively implied that the vocal design was intentionally reminiscent of Johansson's character, posting a one-word tweet after the presentation: "her." Further, Altman had contacted the actor's agent two days before the ChatGPT4.0 demo release, asking Johansson to reconsider his offer.
'Sky's voice is not an imitation of Johansson': OpenAI's response
Following legal intervention, OpenAI agreed to remove the "Sky" voice. The company defended its actions in a blog post, stating that Sky's voice is not an imitation of Johansson but belongs to a different professional actor using her own natural speaking voice. "To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents," the post read. OpenAI also insisted it supports the creative community and took appropriate steps in casting ChatGPT's voices.
Meanwhile, Johansson called for 'transparency' and 'legislation'
Despite OpenAI's defense, Johansson is advocating for transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to protect individual rights. She stated, "In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities...I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected."
