After facing accusations of copying Scarlett Johansson’s voice for its GPT-4o model, OpenAI made an effort to clarify the situation. Johansson’s agent mentioned that neither the actor nor her name were brought up during the development process by OpenAI or CEO Sam Altman.
The controversy arose following the unveiling of the new model, which prominently featured a voice similar to Johansson’s character in the movie Her. Sam Altman further fueled the speculation by posting her during the demonstration.
In response to the backlash, Johansson expressed shock and anger at the resemblance between the voice and her own. She revealed that she had turned down a previous offer from Altman to voice the chatbot.
Seeking clarification, Johansson’s legal team requested information from OpenAI about the voice creation process. Subsequently, OpenAI confirmed that the voice belonged to a different actress using her natural speaking voice and agreed to remove the voice to respect the actor’s concerns.
Despite the explanation provided by OpenAI, questions linger regarding the similarities with Scarlett Johansson’s voice and the potential implications for voice actors and actresses in the industry. The company has not responded to Business Insider’s request for comments outside regular working hours.
This episode underscores the complexities of utilizing human-like voices in AI models and raises important questions about ethics, privacy, and the boundaries of AI technology. As the discourse continues, transparency and respect for individuals’ voices and choices remain critical considerations in AI development and deployment.
