Scarlett Johansson vs OpenAI: Actor says ChatGPT voice is 'eerily similar'
Hollywood actor Scarlett Johansson recently criticized OpenAI over a ChatGPT voice that she claims is “eerily similar” to hers. As per reports, she also stated that she was “forced to hire legal counsel” to get the voice removed from ChatGPT. Following this, the company has taken down the voice called Sky, stating that they did it “Out of respect for Ms. Johansson”.
Timeline of Events
In a personal claim, Scarlett Johansson stated that OpenAI initially approached her to use her voice in their project. However, after careful consideration, she declined the offer to voice the chatbot herself. On May 20, the actor accused the tech company of using a voice that was strikingly similar to hers.
“Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system,” Johansson said in a statement, reported the Verge.
“Nine months later, my friends, family, and the general public all noted how much the newest system named 'Sky' sounded like me," she added.
“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,” OpenAI's CEO Sam said to the Verge in a statement.
“As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAI, setting out what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the ‘Sky’ voice. Consequently, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to take down the 'Sky' voice,” Scarlett Johansson said in a statement. Sky has now been replaced with another voice called Juniper.
Resolution and Apology
“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,” Sam Altman told the Verge.
In her statement, the actor also said, “In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected.”
Conclusion
What's your take on this controversy between Scarlett Johansson and OpenAI?
