Scarlett Johansson expressed her shock and anger towards OpenAI for releasing a voice assistant that closely resembled her own voice. The actress refused the company’s request to use her actual voice, but they went ahead and introduced Sky, a new AI tool that sounded eerily similar to Johansson’s voice from the movie Her.
OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, who has openly shared his admiration for the film Her, subtly referenced it with a single tweet on the release day of Sky. The striking similarity between the AI voice and Johansson’s voice from the movie did not go unnoticed by critics and viewers.
Colin Jost, Johansson’s husband and Saturday Night Live cast member, even joked about the situation during a segment on the show’s season finale. This incident has sparked discussions about the ethics of using celebrities’ voices without their explicit permission.
The debate raises questions about the boundaries of AI technology, privacy rights, and the responsibility of companies like OpenAI when it comes to creating realistic AI voices. Johansson’s reaction highlights the importance of consent and the potential implications of using someone’s voice likeness without their approval.
