Scarlett Johansson addresses clash with OpenAI: “This highlights how vulnerable everybody is”

Scarlett Johansson has opened up about her disagreement with artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI after they allegedly used a voice similar to hers for a new ChatGPT system.

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Back in May, the actor claimed that when she heard the system’s new voice option, named ‘Sky’, she and her friends and family noticed a similarity between their voices. As a result, she complained to OpenAI, and the voice option was removed.

Now, speaking at the release of her new film Fly Me To The Moon, the Black Widow star addressed her clash with the company, and the need for legislation in AI to protect people.

“We’re all waiting and supporting the passing of legislation to protect everybody’s individual rights,” she said (via Sky News). “This highlights how vulnerable everybody is to [AI] and how little protection people do have – if any – of their work in their likeness,” she added.

In May, Johansson claimed that on top of noticing similarities between the voices, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, insinuated the use of Johansson’s voice by tweeting the word ‘her’. The actor interpreted this be a reference to the film Her, in which she plays a chatbot who is the love interest of Joaquin Phoenix’s character.

She claimed that she had been approached by Altman prior to the release of the ChatGPT system, asking if she would consider voicing one of its ‘Voice Mode’ options. After she declined the offer, Johansson claims that Altman contacted her agent, asking her to reconsider. She claims that “before we could connect, the system was out there.”

OpenAI have since removed the ‘Sky’ option, but deny that it is based on Johannson’s voice. Altman said about the situation: “The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to resemble hers.

“We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”

In other AI news, Sony Music, UMG and Warner Records have all sued two AI brands for copyright violations.

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