Scarlett Johansson says a ChatGPT voice is 'eerily similar' to hers ...
The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. OpenAI on Monday said it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices that "Her" actor Scarlett Johansson says sounds "eerily similar" to her own.
Video above: Justice Department to seek tougher sentences for AI-fueled crimes
OpenAI Addresses the Issue
In a post on the social media platform X, OpenAI said it is "working to pause" Sky — the name of one of five voices that ChatGPT users can choose to speak with. The company stated that it had "heard questions" about how it selects the lifelike audio options available for its flagship artificial intelligence chatbot, particularly Sky, and wanted to address them.
Scarlett Johansson's Response
Among those raising questions was Johansson, who famously voiced a fictional, and at the time futuristic, AI assistant in the 2013 film "Her." Johansson issued a statement saying that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had approached her in September, asking her if she would lend her voice to the system, but she declined the offer.
"When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference," Johansson said.
OpenAI's Clarification
OpenAI had moved to debunk the internet's theories about Johansson in a blog post accompanying its earlier announcement aimed at detailing how ChatGPT's voices were chosen. The company clarified that it believed AI voices "should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice" and that the voice of Sky belongs to a "different professional actress." However, they could not share the name of that professional for privacy reasons.
Further Statements
In a statement following Johansson's response, Altman said that OpenAI cast the voice actor behind Sky "before any outreach" to Johansson. "The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson's, and it was never intended to resemble hers," Altman said. "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."
Advancements in ChatGPT
San Francisco-based OpenAI continues to enhance ChatGPT's interactions. The latest update to its generative AI model can mimic human cadences in its verbal responses and detect people's moods. GPT-4o, the newest model, works faster than previous versions and can reason across text, audio, and video in real time.
The model's text and image capabilities have already begun rolling out and are set to reach even some of those that use ChatGPT's free tier, while the new voice mode will be available for paid subscribers of ChatGPT Plus.
Public Reaction and Comparison to "Her"
The unveiling of GPT-4o sparked comparisons to the movie "Her," where an introverted man falls in love with an AI-operating system. Many found the interactions with the new model strikingly flirtatious. Critics have pointed out the gendered ways in which tech companies develop and engage voice assistants.
In a segment last week, The Daily Show senior correspondent Desi Lydic commented on GPT-4o, saying, "You can really tell that a man built this tech." The gender dynamics in voice assistant technology have been a subject of debate for some time.
