Scarlett Johansson recently spoke out after OpenAI’s ChatGPT voice, known as “Sky,” sounded eerily similar to her own voice, leading her to hire a team of lawyers to investigate the matter. Johansson revealed that she had rejected an offer from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to lend her voice to the artificial intelligence system in 2023, citing personal reasons for declining the offer. However, she was surprised to find that the newly released system, Sky, sounded so much like her own voice that it caused shock and anger among her friends, family, and the public.
The situation escalated when Altman approached Johansson once again right before the release of the ChatGPT 4.0 demo, asking her to reconsider voicing Sky. As a result, Johansson had to seek legal counsel, which led to two letters being sent to Altman and OpenAI, demanding an explanation of the voice creation process. Eventually, OpenAI agreed to take down the Sky voice, acknowledging the need for transparency and protection of individual rights in the midst of concerns over deepfakes and likeness protection.
OpenAI responded to the controversy by emphasizing that Sky was voiced by a real actress and not a computer-generated imitation of Scarlett Johansson. The company stated that AI voices should not mimic a celebrity’s distinct voice deliberately and that the voice belonged to a different professional actress using her natural speaking voice. The names of the voice talents were kept private to protect their privacy, and the company maintained that Sky’s voice was not intended to imitate Johansson but rather showcase the abilities of AI-generated voices.
The incident involving the likeness of Johansson’s voice on the ChatGPT system attracted significant attention, even being mentioned on Saturday Night Live during their annual joke tradeoff segment. Michael Che had Colin Jost, who is married to Johansson, read a joke about the system during the show, leading to an amusing reaction from Jost. The reference to the ChatGPT voice assistant feature inspired by Johansson’s AI character in the movie “Her” prompted a humorous response from Jost, who expressed skepticism about the film’s premise without the physical presence of Johansson.
Colin Jost’s appearance on Saturday Night Live also shed light on his relationship with Scarlett Johansson, as the couple married in 2020 and welcomed a son named Cosmo in 2021. Johansson, who was previously married to Romain Dauriac and shares a daughter named Rose with him, has now faced a unique challenge regarding the protection of her voice and likeness in the digital age. The incident with OpenAI’s Sky voice has raised important questions about the boundaries between AI creation and celebrity identities, prompting discussions about privacy rights and the need for legislative protection in the rapidly evolving technological landscape.
