Incensed Scarlett Johansson Accuses ChatGPT of Stealing 'Her' Voice After She Rejected Them

By Nate Parker | Celebrity | May 21, 2024 |

By Nate Parker | Celebrity | May 21, 2024 |

Scarlett Johansson would like to know why OpenAI’s “Sky,” OpenAI’s virtual assistant that debuted last in a live demonstration, sounds like her. Johansson’s publicist told NPR they’ve sent two letters to OpenAI since the performance, wanting to know how they developed the chatbot’s voice. Despite the similarity, OpenAI insists they used another unnamed actress to portray Sky’s voice but has since halted the use of the voice while they come up with suitable answers for how the ChatGPT voices are developed.

Johansson offered important details along with her statement — namely, that Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, asked her multiple times over the last nine months to lend her voice to the chatbot. She declined, and though she doesn’t go into detail in her statement below, it’s not difficult to imagine why. She’s been the subject of many deepfake porn productions, and recently described trying to get people to stop as a “lost cause.” Johansson also starred in Her, a sci-fi film about the romantic relationship between a lonely man and an emerging AI assistant. Altman has called Her his favorite film, and posted “her” on X after the chatbot’s debut, making the connection obvious despite OpenAI’s insistence otherwise.

NEWS

Scarlett Johansson has just issued this statement on OpenAI.

I have confirmed its authenticity directly with her publicist.

[image or embed]

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yasharali.bsky.social) May 20, 2024 at 6:32 PM

AI can only steal. Anything it creates is the stitched-together corpse of human effort, soulless and devoid of value. Billionaire Sam Altman’s interactions with Johansson are a creepy reminder of how little consent means to some people, particularly those with so much wealth and power that consequences cease to have any real meaning. Altman persisted in his advances after Johansson said no, and knew the Sky voice sounded too much like her to be mistaken for anyone else. It’s why he asked again 2 days before the chatbot’s debut. But they went on without her consent because it’s easier to pretend you’re sorry than get permission. The key difference is that Johansson’s star power means OpenAI was forced to pull the voice after receiving the publicity it wanted.

For most artists and creators, that’s not an option. Lawsuits to force OpenAI to stop trawling unauthorized books, articles, and other media gleaned from pirate sites aren’t making much headway, and we can’t rely on Congress to tighten copyright law in any meaningful way. It seems our best hope is that celebrities and their families continue raising a fuss each time their likeness is used illegally, and that AI’s output continues to be such garbage that it quickly reaches the same sad, inevitable end as NFTs.