Summary
- Scarlett Johansson is ready to take on OpenAI CEO for allegedly copying her voice without permission.
- Fans may be surprised by this turn of events, as Scarlett gears up for a battle with the AI company that uses her voice.
- The actress is determined to defend her identity and voice, pushing for transparency and legislation to protect individual rights.
Scarlett Johansson might be starting a legal battle with the CEO of OpenAI. This will probably surprise fans who never would have thought the movie star would have anything to do with an AI company. But the recent developments have scared and infuriated her, so she will take action.
In a recent statement, she explained that she had been approached by OpenAI with an offer for her to voice the new version of ChatGPT, and she's convinced they used her voice anyway despite her turning down the offer. She's not afraid to defend herself, and will take legal action if necessary.
Scarlett Johansson Accuses OpenAI CEO Of Copying Her Voice
Scarlett Johansson is enraged, and with good reason. The actress recently gave a statement to PEOPLE accusing Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, of copying her voice without her consent. OpenAI is the company responsible for popular artificial intelligence tools, the most famous being ChatGPT, and according to Scarlett Johansson, the CEO made her an offer to use her voice in a new ChatGPT system.
"He told me that he felt that by my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers to feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and AI. He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people," Scarlett Johansson explained. At the time, she declined for "personal reasons." But apparently, this didn't stop Sam Altman.
"Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named 'Sky' sounded like me," the actress went on. She was "shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference."
The Black Widow star pointed out that the CEO seems to have signaled the fact that he copied her voice in a tweet that only said the word "her," which she interpreted as "a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human."
Scarlett Johansson Will Take Legal Action
Ironically, just days before this, Scarlett Johansson's husband, comedian Colin Jost, made a seemingly premonitory joke on Saturday Night Live, which was not terribly well received.
"ChatGPT has released a new voice assistant feature inspired by Scarlett Johansson’s AI character in Her," the joke said. "Which I’ve never bothered to watch, because without that body, what’s the point of listening?"
Colin Jost was made to read the joke, he didn't write it himself, and he looked really embarrassed afterward, but despite the controversy it caused, it now sounds like a warning.
Faced with the very real possibility that an AI might have copied her voice, Scarlett Johansson found herself "forced to hire legal action."
She concluded her statement by saying "In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected."
