Scarlett Johansson has expressed her anger and shock over Open AI allegedly using a voice strikingly similar to her after she refused an offer to lend her voice for a ChatGPT system.
As per PEOPLE, the Lucy star shared a statement on Monday, May 20 that she "received an offer from [OpenAI CEO] Sam Altman" to use her voice for its current ChatGPT 4.0 system in September 2023.
Johansson mentioned that Altman said to her “that he felt that by my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers to feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and AI. He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people."
But, she eventually chose to decline the offer because of "personal reasons."
"Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named 'Sky' sounded like me," Johansson said.
She further express that she is "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."
Johnson continued, “Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word ‘her’ — a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.”
Two days before the unveiling of the ChatGPT 4.0 demo, Altman had contacted her agent and inquired whether she would reconsider her decision.
"Before we could connect, the system was out there."
Johansson said she was "forced to hire legal action" which issued Altman with two letters.
She concluded, "In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity.”
However, Open AI responded over concerns about Sky's voice on X Monday, stating it would "pause the use of Sky while we address them."
