Last week, OpenAI showcased the new voices of their ChatGPT 4.0 system. The voices, named Breeze, Cove, Ember, Juniper, and Sky, were revealed during a live demonstration. Actress Scarlett Johansson thought Sky sounded very familiar. In fact, she mentioned that her friends and family also noticed the voice’s resemblance to her own distinct, husky voice.
This connection makes sense because Johansson is well-known for voicing a virtual assistant in the 2013 movie “Her.” On the same day Sky was introduced, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted just one word: “her.”
However, there is a problem. Johansson claimed she had told Altman he couldn’t use her voice for the project. Johansson expressed her feelings in a statement provided to Page Six. “When I heard the released demo, I 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,” she said.
Johansson explained that Altman had initially asked her to voice the project. He believed her voice could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives, helping consumers feel comfortable with the changes in artificial intelligence (AI). “After much consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the offer,” Johansson stated.
Despite her refusal, Johansson felt that the voice of Sky was still too similar to hers. OpenAI denied that Sky was based on Johansson, claiming the voice belonged to a different professional actress who they chose not to name to protect her privacy.
Does ChatGPT-4o’s voice remind you of a certain Hollywood star? 🤔
Well, you’re not alone – Scarlett Johansson was left “shocked” and “angered” after hearing the AI speak in a voice “eerily similar” to her own!https://t.co/JXrVAB1Pqj#ChatGPT4o #OpenAI #ScarlettJohansson
— Cordis (@cordiscreative) May 22, 2024
Johansson felt strongly about this issue and decided to hire legal counsel. According to Johansson, OpenAI agreed to remove the Sky voice after her legal team questioned how the voice was created. “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,” Johansson added.
The company took down the Sky voice after her lawyer contacted Sam Altman. Altman apologized to Johansson and claimed the voice was never intended to resemble hers. Instead, it was the natural speaking voice of another professional actress who wished to remain anonymous.
“The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to resemble hers,” Altman said in a statement late Monday. “We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”
This incident raises important questions about the protection of personal likenesses and identities in an age of advanced AI and deepfake technology. As technology continues to evolve, it is crucial to address these concerns to ensure clarity and respect for individuals’ rights.
