Scarlett Johansson "shocked and angry": OpenAI takes AI voice offline
After OpenAI's latest innovations, there were many suggestions that an AI voice sounds like Scarlett Johansson. She is outraged and the company is taking action.
(Image: lev radin/Shutterstock.com)
After OpenAI announced at the weekend that it would temporarily deactivate a female voice in its in-house AI systems, Scarlett Johansson has accused the company of imitating her voice without permission. This emerges from a statement by the US actress that was published by US media. In it, Johansson criticizes the fact that even her closest friends could not distinguish the voice called "Sky" from her own. She also points out that OpenAI boss Sam Altman himself pointed out a possible intentional similarity. After she called in lawyers, OpenAI "reluctantly" agreed to take "Sky" offline.
Altman himself pointed out the similarity
"Sky" is one of five different voices that OpenAI released back in September for the voice output of ChatGPT and its various offshoots. After the announcement of new products and the availability of "Sky" & Co. in a kind of AI voice assistant a week ago, many people pointed out the similarity of "Sky" to Scarlett Johansson's voice, not least because of Sam Altman. To introduce the new features on the short messaging service X, he simply shared the word "her", referring to the film of the same name in which Johansson voices an AI that the protagonist falls in love with. What was intended as an advertisement for the new OpenAI AI was also criticized because the story in the film does not end well.
Johansson now claims that OpenAI approached her last September with a request to lend her voice to ChatGPT. She also decided against it for personal reasons. Nine months later, friends, family and the public have now noticed "how much the new system called 'Sky' sounds like me". When she heard it herself, she said, she was shocked and angry, unable to believe that Altman had gone for such a similar voice. Before the release a week ago, he contacted her again and asked her to reconsider her refusal. Before she could respond, the new, improved version was out in the world. This ultimately forced her to call in lawyers.
Johansson thus explains her view of the events, after OpenAI had already drawn consequences on Sunday. The company announced that it would pause the availability of "Sky". At the same time, OpenAI assured that the voice of a real actress would be used, but that it could not be named for data protection reasons. The company is convinced that AI voices should not intentionally imitate those of well-known personalities and that "Sky" is not intended as a copy of Scarlett Johansson. However, this voice will no longer be offered while the associated issues are being addressed.
(mho)