Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson expressed shock and disbelief after Microsoft-backed startup, OpenAI, released an Artificial Intelligence personal assistant voice that closely resembled her own. The voice, named ‘Sky,’ was part of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, which allows users to interact through voice commands.
Johansson, known for her role as Samantha in the movie ‘Her,’ revealed that OpenAI had approached her to license her voice for the AI assistant, but she declined the offer citing personal reasons. Despite declining the offer, OpenAI went ahead with a voice that Johansson believed was a copy of her own.
Following Johansson’s concerns, OpenAI issued a statement clarifying that Sky’s voice was not an imitation of the actress but belonged to a different professional using her natural speaking voice. The tech company has since paused using Sky’s voice out of respect for Johansson.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is facing lawsuits from authors and news organizations, alleging copyright violations in using their content to train AI models. The company has acknowledged the need for better communication and has expressed regret over the situation with Johansson.
Moving forward, OpenAI plans to work on resolving the issue with Johansson and address concerns raised by other parties regarding copyright violations. The incident serves as a reminder of the challenges in balancing technological advancements with ethical considerations in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
