Scarlett Johansson became one of Hollywood’s most prominent voices in the debate over artificial intelligence (AI) after raising concerns regarding a ChatGPT voice that she stated sounded similar to her own.
The controversy surrounding OpenAI’s “Sky” voice underscored increasing concerns regarding how AI can reproduce or resemble popular celebrities.
1. The controversy started with ChatGPT
The ChatGPT manufacturer launched GPT-4o with a more natural voice interaction feature in May 2024.
One of its voices, called Sky, quickly drew comparisons to Johansson’s voice, especially due to her role as an AI agent in the movie Her.
2. Johansson said she had declined OpenAI’s offer
The Avengers artist stated OpenAI CEO Sam Altman approached her in September 2023 regarding offering a voice for ChatGPT, but she declined the offer.
Later on, she stated she was shocked when she heard the Sky voice.
3. OpenAI refused copying her voice
The ChatGPT manufacturer stated Sky was not Johansson’s voice and was never intended to resemble it.
As per OpenAI, the voice belonged to another professional alum and that the actor had been selected ahead of OpenAI contacted Johansson regarding joining ChatGPT.
4. OpenAI paused the Sky voice
Following Johansson’s concerns, the ChatGPT manufacturer announced that it would pause the use of Sky.
Additionally, she had hired legal counsel to assess how voice had been used and created.
5. The dispute raised bigger AI questions
The controversy became part of a broader discussion regarding the priorities of celebrities, consent as well as voice rights.
AI systems can easily generate realistic speech from little audio, raising questions regarding how performers can secure their identities as synthetic voices become more advanced.
OpenAI has addressed that voice-generation technology can generate realistic speech from short voice samples.
The Black Widow artist’s dispute with OpenAI therefore became more than a celebrity controversy, highlighting the challenges of Hollywood celebrities amid an abrupt rise of AI.
