Scarlett Johansson Is "Angered" At The "Eerily" Similar OpenAI Chatbot Voice To Her

Photo- REUTERS

Hollywood actor Scarlett Johansson expressed that she was "shocked, angered and in disbelief" after Sam Altman's OpenAI launched a chatbot with a voice that sounded "eerily similar" to hers. Johansson revealed that she had previously declined OpenAI's request for her voice to be used in their new ChatGPT 4.0 chatbot, which is designed to read material aloud to users. Since the AI chatbot, named Sky, was introduced last week, numerous users have noted the striking resemblance between Sky's tone and Johansson's voice in the 2013 film 'Her'.

In response, OpenAI stated on X (formerly Twitter) that they would temporarily suspend the use of the AI voice while addressing "questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT." The company asserted in a blog post that Sky's voice was "not an imitation" of Johansson's and was recorded by a different professional actor, whose identity they chose to keep confidential to protect her privacy.

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However, Johansson accused OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, of replicating her voice. She recalled receiving an offer from Altman last September to voice the ChatGPT 4.0 system. Altman suggested that her voice could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives, helping consumers adapt to the significant changes brought by AI. Despite declining the offer, Johansson was astonished to hear the demo and noted that it sounded so similar to her voice that even her close friends and media could not distinguish it. She mentioned that Altman hinted at the intentional similarity by tweeting the word "her," referencing the film where Johansson voiced a chat system named Samantha.

Johansson disclosed that these events compelled her to hire legal counsel, leading her attorney to send two letters to Altman and OpenAI, requesting an explanation of the voice's creation process. She noted that OpenAI "reluctantly agreed" to remove the voice from their platform. Johansson emphasized the need for clarity in an era grappling with deepfakes and the protection of personal likeness, work, and identity. She called for transparency and appropriate legislation to safeguard individual rights.

Meanwhile, Sam Altman, in a statement emailed to Reuters, reiterated that Sky's voice was not an imitation of Johansson's and that the voice actor was cast before any outreach to her. He expressed regret over the poor communication and affirmed that they had paused the use of Sky's voice out of respect for Johansson.

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