Is ChatGPT’s AI Voice Scarlett Johannson? Actress Lawyers Up Against OpenAI

Posted: May 22, 2024

Scarlett Johansson has expressed shock and anger over a new ChatGPT voice by OpenAI, which she claims sounds remarkably similar. Johansson’s legal team has sent two letters to OpenAI, demanding details on how the voice, dubbed “Sky,” was developed. Her publicist disclosed this information to NPR, marking a new development in the controversy.

Following a live demonstration of the ChatGPT Scarlett Johansson voice last week, many compared it to Johansson’s voice in the 2013 sci-fi film “Her,” where she played a computer’s operating system. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who has called “Her” his favorite movie, fueled these comparisons by posting “Her” on X (formerly Twitter) after the announcement of the new ChatGPT version.

OpenAI has now halted using the voice, stating they will address questions about how they chose the voices for the ChatGPT AI voice assistant. A company spokeswoman declined to provide further details. Altman had approached Johansson nine months ago, proposing she license her voice for the new AI assistant, believing it would comfort users uneasy with AI technology. Johansson declined the offer for personal reasons.

Just days before unveiling the new ChatGPT, Altman contacted Johansson’s team again, urging her to reconsider. However, the new product was announced before any further discussions, featuring a voice Johansson claims mimicked her own.

“I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine,” Johansson said. She emphasized the importance of clarity in an era plagued by deepfakes and disinformation.

Altman denied any connection between Johansson and the Sky voice, stating that the voice actor was cast before any outreach to Johansson. He apologized for the lack of communication and confirmed that OpenAI has paused using Sky’s voice out of respect for Johansson.

OpenAI clarified in a blog post that Sky’s voice was developed by another actress, whose identity remains undisclosed for privacy reasons. The new ChatGPT model, GPT-4o, features advanced capabilities such as interpreting facial expressions and detecting emotions and will be publicly available soon.