Actress Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman used a voice similar to hers in its artificial intelligence voice software, even though she declined his invitation .
Previously, OpenAI said it would withdraw its ChatGPT AI voice called “Sky,” which was launched last week and caused controversy for sounding like Johnson’s voice in the movie “Her.”
Johnson said Altman contacted her last September and again two days before announcing the launch of ChatGPT-4o on May 13. A man forms a relationship with a virtual artificial intelligence named Samantha.
“After careful consideration and for personal reasons, I have declined the offer,” Johnson said in a statement to CNBC. “Nine months later, my friends, family and the public have taken notice that the latest version of the new project, titled ‘Sky,’ The system sounds so much like me.”
ultraman Tweet “her” The day OpenAI announced its new artificial intelligence.
“When I heard the demo released, I was shocked, angry and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so similar to mine that even my closest friends and the news media could not tell the difference,” ” Johnson’s statement continued. Mr. Altman even suggested the resemblance was intentional, tweeting the word “her.”
The actress wrote on Monday that she had hired legal counsel. Johnson has had run-ins with major companies like Disney in the past. In 2021, Johnson and Walt Disney settled a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed against the studio by the “Black Widow” actor.
“We’ve heard questions about how we select voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky,” Microsoft-backed OpenAI launched on X on Monday.
“Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson, but belongs to another professional actress using her own natural speaking voice,” the company wrote in a blog post on Sunday. “To protect them Due to privacy concerns, we cannot reveal the names of our voice actors.”
Johnson said she wrote two letters to Altman and OpenAI asking them to detail the process of creating Sky.
“As we all grapple with the issue of deepfakes and protect our own likenesses, our own work, our own identities, I believe these issues deserve absolute clarity,” she said in a statement. “I look forward to transparency in the form of Address the issue and pass appropriate legislation to help ensure individual rights are protected.”
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Johansson’s statement.
Below is Scarlett Johansson’s full statement:
“Last September, I received an invitation from Sam Altman to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system. He told me that he thought that by voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creative people. And helped by saying he found my voice comforting.
After much consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the offer. Nine months later, my friends, family, and the public were noticing how much the newest system, called “Sky,” sounded like me.
When I heard the demo released, I was shocked, angry, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so similar to mine that even my closest friends and the news media could not tell the difference. Mr. Ultraman even suggested that the resemblance was intentional, tweeting the word “her” — a reference to the film in which I voiced Samantha, a chat system who develops an intimate relationship with a human. .
Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent and asked me to reconsider.The system existed before we connected
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 of creating the “Sky” voice. As a result, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to remove the voice of “Sky”.
As we all grapple with the issue of deepfakes and protect our own likenesses, our own work, our own identities, I believe these issues deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to issues being resolved with transparency and appropriate legislation being passed to help ensure individual rights are protected.
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