Updated: 21 May 2024
Scarlett Johansson has lashed out at Sam Altman’s OpenAI for using a voice that sounded very similar to her after she rejected the company’s request for her to lend her voice to a conversational ChatGPT system. The Hollywood actress, in a statement, said her lawyers are in touch with OpenAI to get the voice pulled down.
However, OpenAI said the voice, which is called Sky, is not Johansson’s. It said they have paused Sky’s use. OpenAI took to microblogging platform X, formerly Twitter, to highlight that they have heard questions about how they went ahead and chose the voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky. A blog post, shared by OpenAI, states they worked with industry-leading casting and directing professionals to narrow down over 400 submissions before selecting the five voices.
It explained that the five distinct voices have been carefully selected through an extensive process of five months. The process involved professional voice actors, talent agencies, casting directors, and industry advisors.
Scarlett Johansson in Shock with OpenAI’s Sky Voice
But the Black Widow actress said she was contacted by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, in September of 2023 that the company was hiring her to provide her voice for ChatGPT 4.0 because it was ‘comforting to people. She added Altman told her she could bridge the gap between tech companies, creatives, and help consumers feel comfortable with the shift from humans to AI.
Johansson highlighted that she declined OpenAI for personal reasons.
Now, she has expressed shock and anger that the company went ahead and used a voice that was so ‘eerily similar’ to hers. Johansson said her closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference. She added that Altman indicated that the similarity was intentional by tweeting a single word ‘her’- this was a reference to a film that Johansson had voiced a chat system Samantha.
She touched on deepfakes and the need to protect one’s individuality and name from misappropriation. Johansson believes the government should step in with a legislation to protect people from having their name, image and likeness from being misused. She said there is a need for absolute clarity and transparency.
OpenAI Pauses Sky – Voice that Sounded like Scarlett Johansson
With Sky now temporarily paused, OpenAI said it was out of respect for the actress and the voice was not her imitation. The company said the voice actually belonged to a different professional actress, who used her own natural voice. OpenAI added that it cannot share the professional’s name to protect the artist’s privacy.
