Holywood actress Scarlett Johansson released a statement objecting to OpenAI's use of a voice that was nearly identical to hers, without her permission.
Nine months ago, the company approached Johansson to voice their AI system, an offer she declined for "personal reasons."
The actress was then "angered" and "shocked" to find out about an OpenAI voice option for ChatGPT-4o named "Sky" that sounded exactly like her.
"In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our likeness, work, and identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity," Johansson told NPR.
She noted that even her closest friends and media outlets couldn't distinguish between her voice and Sky's.
Statement from Scarlett Johansson on the OpenAI situation. Wow: pic.twitter.com/8ibMeLfqP8
— Bobby Allyn (@BobbyAllyn) May 20, 2024
Following significant public outcry, OpenAI removed the controversial voice option from ChatGPT on Monday. Sky had been featured heavily during the company’s recent launch event for the ChatGPT-4o model.
At the event, the AI's engaging and personable characteristics were highlighted.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even tweeted the word "her" after the presentation, acknowledging the clear resemblance to Johansson's character from the 2013 film "Her," an AI named Samantha.
her
— Sam Altman (@sama) May 13, 2024
Despite all this, OpenAI released a blog post denying that Sky's voice was based on Johansson's. They maintained that the voice belonged to a different professional actress, whose identity was kept confidential for privacy reasons.
"Sky's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her natural speaking voice," stated the blog post. "To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents."
Johansson shared that Altman had initially pitched the project to her, suggesting that her voice would help ease public apprehension about AI by bridging the gap between technology and creativity.
He even reached out again to Johansson's agent, two days before Sky's release, asking the actress to reconsider.
Controversy Strikes OpenAI
The controversy also sparked broader discussions on the nature of the AI voice. During a segment on the "Saturday Night Live" season finale, Johansson’s husband Colin Jost made a joke that referenced the news.
"The Daily Show" host Desi Lydic criticized the nature of the voice, quipping, "You can tell that a man built this tech. She's like, 'I have all the information in the world, but I don’t know anything.'"
OpenAI has since defended its voice selection process, stating that the voices were chosen based on "timelessness" and their ability to inspire trust.
The company reviewed hundreds of voice acting submissions over five months, then flew the selected actors to San Francisco for recording sessions to train their models.
The removal of Sky's voice coincided with significant resignations from OpenAI's safety team.
Jan Leike, a key researcher, resigned while criticizing the company's focus on product appeal over safety protocols.
Despite this, Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman maintained that they wouldn't release any product if it posed safety concerns.
READ NEXT:
New ChatGPT Introduces Human-like Conversations