Actress Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman used her voice to give a speech artificial intelligence voice software despite declining the invitation to use it.
The response comes after OpenAI said it would pull its ChatGPT AI voice known as “Sky”, debut last week amid controversy over whether it sounded like Johansson’s voice in the movie “Her.”
Johansson said Altman approached her last September and two days before that. announced ChatGPT-4o on May 13. The actor plays a voice character in the movie Her about a man who has a relationship with an AI virtual assistant named Samantha.
“After much consideration and for personal reasons, I have declined the offer,” Johansson said in a statement to CNBC. “Nine months later, my friends, family and the public have all noticed how much the newest system called ‘Sky’ sounds like me.”
Altman tweeted “her” cryptic message on the day OpenAI announced its new AI.
Johansson’s statement continued: “When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angry, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice so uncannily similar to mine that my closest friends I and the press agencies cannot tell the difference.” “Mr. Altman even hinted that the resemblance was intentional, tweeting the single word ‘she’.”
The actor wrote on Monday that she has hired legal counsel. Johansson has fought big companies like Disney in the past. 2021, Johansson and Walt Disney settled breach of contract lawsuit that the “Black Widow” actor brought against the studio.
“We’ve been getting questions about how we choose voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky,” MicrosoftOpenAI support was posted on X on Monday.
“Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to another professional actress using her own natural voice,” the company wrote in a blog post on Sunday. “To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talent.”
Johansson said she wrote two letters to Altman and OpenAI, asking them to detail the process of creating Sky.
“In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and protecting our likenesses, our work, our identities, I believe these are questions that need absolute clarity,” her statement said. . “I look forward to a solution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected.”
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the actor’s statement.
Here is Scarlett Johansson’s full statement:
“Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system. He told me that he felt that by voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and innovators, and help consumers get comfortable with the seismic shift involving humans and AI My voice will comfort everyone.
After much consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the offer. Nine months later, my friends, family, and the public have all noticed how much the newest system called “Sky” sounds like me.
When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angry, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice so uncannily similar to mine that even my closest friends and press outlets also cannot be distinguished. Mr. Altman even hinted that the resemblance was intentional, tweeting the single word “she” — a reference to the movie in which I voiced the chat system, Samantha, who forms the relationship intimate with people.
Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my representative and asked me to reconsider. Before we could connect, the system was out there
As a result of their actions, I was forced to retain 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. As a result, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to remove the “Sky” voice.
In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and protecting our own likeness, our work, our identities, I believe these are questions that need absolute clarity. I look forward to a solution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected.”
