OpenAI, the company behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, has announced that they are working to drop a voice that sounds like actress Scarlett Johansson. This news comes after OpenAI debuted its new AI voice assistant as part of a major upgrade to its flagship chatbot, which puts it in direct competition with other digital voice assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. The voice in question, named Sky, was one of five voices introduced with OpenAI’s latest AI model, GPT-4o. Sky has drawn attention for its similarity to Johansson, particularly in her role as an AI voice assistant in the movie Her.
OpenAI has acknowledged the vocal similarities between Sky and Scarlett Johansson but has emphasized that Sky is not an imitation of the actress. The company has stated that the voice belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice. Despite this clarification, OpenAI has decided to pause the use of the Sky voice until they can address questions raised about its selection. The company has not disclosed the identity of the vocal talent behind the Sky voice, citing privacy concerns for the individual.
The GPT-4o upgrade represents the latest iteration of OpenAI’s powerful GPT4 model, which powers the ChatGPT chatbot. The update is said to be faster and offers enhanced functionality across text, audio, and vision. OpenAI has made the voice assistant feature available for free to all users, positioning the company as a strong competitor in the digital voice assistant market. The inclusion of voice assistant capabilities in ChatGPT puts OpenAI in direct competition with established players like Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri, and Amazon’s Alexa.
OpenAI’s cofounder and CEO Sam Altman has cryptically posted the word “Her” on a social media platform, a reference to the film in which Scarlett Johansson provided the voice for a virtual assistant. Altman has previously expressed his admiration for the movie, suggesting a possible connection to the selection of the Sky voice in ChatGPT. While OpenAI has indicated that more voice options will be launched in the future, the company remains committed to ensuring that AI voices do not deliberately mimic the distinctive voices of celebrities.
Overall, the development of a voice that resembles Scarlett Johansson in OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot has generated significant interest and speculation. The company’s decision to pause the use of the Sky voice reflects their commitment to addressing questions and concerns from users and maintaining transparency in their development process. As OpenAI continues to expand its offerings and capabilities, it will be interesting to see how the company positions itself in the competitive digital voice assistant market and how it differentiates its products from existing players in the space.
