Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson was recently left shocked, angry, and in disbelief after OpenAI unveiled its latest ChatGPT demo, showcasing a voice assistant named Sky that bore a striking resemblance to her own voice. While OpenAI denied intentionally mimicking Johansson’s voice, the actress expressed her surprise at the uncanny similarity.
The controversy began when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman approached Johansson last September, suggesting that her voice could humanize their AI system and make it more relatable to consumers. However, Johansson declined the offer for personal reasons. Despite this, OpenAI went ahead with the introduction of ChatGPT 4o, featuring the voice assistant Sky, which Johansson claimed was a spitting image of her own voice.
Altman reportedly contacted Johansson’s agent just days before the demo, urging her to reconsider lending her voice to the project. However, the system was released without Johansson’s consent, prompting her to take legal action and demand an explanation from OpenAI regarding the creation of the Sky voice.
In response to the backlash, OpenAI issued an apology to Johansson, clarifying that the voice of Sky was not intended to sound like her and that they had cast a voice actor before approaching Johansson. They have since removed the voice from their products out of respect for the actress.
The incident has reignited concerns about the potential misuse of AI technology and the need for stronger protections for individuals’ rights in the face of AI-generated content. Johansson emphasized the importance of transparency and appropriate legislation to safeguard personal identity and work in an era dominated by deepfakes and AI advancements. She called for clarity and regulation to protect individual rights in the digital age.
