In recent reports, Scarlett Johansson accused OpenAI of using her voice likeness without permission for their ChatGPT “Sky” avatar, claiming the resemblance was significant enough that even her closest friends could not tell the difference.
OpenAI has responded with documentation and statements indicating no intentional mimicry of Johansson’s voice. According to internal company documents shared with The Washington Post, OpenAI hired a different actress months before contacting Johansson.
This actress was selected based on criteria for a “warm, engaging, charismatic” voice, with no specific request to sound like Johansson.
OpenAI didn’t request, according to interviews with multiple people involved in the casting call process and documents shared by the artificial intelligence company in response to questions from The Washington Post, a clone of actress Scarlett Johansson. https://t.co/Ramsx1P8lN
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 23, 2024
The casting call issued by OpenAI required actors to be non-union, aged 25 to 45, with specific voice qualities. The voiceover actress, whose identity remains confidential, was chosen and recorded for the project well before OpenAI CEO Sam Altman approached Johansson.
This is what people have to say about this controversy as soon as this news broke online.
What’s the name of the actual voice actress? Let’s put that out on the TL
— Da5id (@DavesClassyCode) May 23, 2024
Legal experts believe Johansson may still have grounds for a lawsuit due to the resemblance of Sky’s voice to hers. Past cases, such as those involving Bette Midler and Tom Waits, have set precedents for celebrities protecting their voice likeness.
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While the debate continues on the ethical use of celebrity-like voices in AI, it’s also valuable to look at the technological specifics that enable such capabilities. Learn more by reading our detailed analysis on GPT-4o’s Voice Mode, which explores the intricacies of voice synthesis technology used by AI platforms.
OpenAI has temporarily paused the use of the Sky voice out of respect for Johansson’s concerns. In their communications, OpenAI emphasized that there was no intention to create a voice clone and that all decisions were made by Mira Murati, the company’s CTO, without direct involvement from Altman.
Coincidentally, OpenAI and news corp strike a deal today too huh?
Pretty odd that the same time we have an article from WaPo defending them
— simp 4 satoshi (@iamgingertrash) May 23, 2024
The agent of Sky’s Voice told The Post that the company never mentioned Johansson or the movie Her with their talent. OpenAI did not tweak the actor’s recordings to sound like Johansson, as her natural voice was already a close match.
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In a statement, Johansson expressed shock that OpenAI pursued a similar voice, especially after she had turned down Altman’s offer to voice ChatGPT. Altman first contacted her in September 2023 and then reached out again just two days before the company introduced GPT-4o.
The voices sound nothing alike, but even if they did, there is nothing illegal about it, nobody claimed it is Johansson, the didn’t try to mislead anyone.
— Alex Utopia (@alexutopia) May 23, 2024
Sky has been one of ChatGPT’s voices since September, but the release of GPT-4o made the similarities to Johansson’s voice more apparent, especially after Altman tweeted “her” following the demonstration of the new language model.
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Amid these disputes, more Hollywood celebrities have supported Johansson, expressing concerns about AI’s growing presence in the entertainment industry. SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union instrumental in last year’s Hollywood labor strike, called for federal legislation to protect voices and likenesses.
Johansson’s Avengers co-star Mark Ruffalo warned that the incident was “just the beginning.”
“OpenAI didn’t request, according…”
OpenAI didn’t request what? Oh there’s the answer, at the very end of the sentence after everyone reading it is already confused.— Gordon Freeman (@Lateralus_11235) May 23, 2024
OpenAI has reportedly been in discussions with Hollywood studio executives following the historic strike against AI threats to livelihoods and safety in the industry. New releases of AI video generators, such as Google’s video generator Veo, promoted by Grammy-winner Donald Glover, have also targeted filmmakers, raising further concerns.
The kinds of documents OpenAI selectively offers to the media for puff pieces are probably quite different than the kinds of docs they’ll be forced to hand over during the discovery process of a lawsuit.
Odds are a company *built* on the theft of IP probably did it here too.
— Derek C. of Earth-23 (@PopRelics) May 23, 2024
Johansson’s dispute with OpenAI has brought renewed attention to CEO Sam Altman and long-held concerns about AI safety under his leadership. OpenAI previously dissolved one of its AI safety teams after its leaders left over concerns that safety culture was being compromised for product development.
the articles they shared where written by ai no doubt
— Scoundrel🟧 (@sugarscarlet21) May 23, 2024
Amid the scandal, there have been growing calls on social media for Altman’s resignation to bring changes to the company’s trajectory.
If you’re curious about the voice resemblance, a video recording of Johansson’s statement read by the Sky voice assistant is available on YouTube.
Opinions are divided, with some agreeing it sounds like Johansson if she were robotic, while others believe it sounds more like Rashida Jones.
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