Scarlett Johansson is accusing OpenAI of using a voice “eerily similar” to hers after she turned down an offer to lend her voice to the ChatGPT system.
The The North Star the actress said in a statement to PEOPLE on Monday, May 20, that she “received an offer from [OpenAI CEO] Sam Altman” to use her voice for his current ChatGPT 4.0 system in September 2023.
Altman explained to her why he thought she would be a perfect fit, she added.
“He told me he felt that by expressing my systems, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers feel comfortable about the seismic shift involving humans and artificial intelligence. He said he felt my voice would be a comfort to the people.”
However, in the end she decided to turn down the offer due to “personal reasons”.
Stock image of the phone and the ChatGPT logo.
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“Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public noticed how much the latest system called ‘Sky’ sounded like me,” Johansson, 39, said.
After hearing the demo herself, Johansson said she was “shocked, angry and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would ask for a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets couldn’t tell the difference.”
She added that Altman “insinuated” that the “resemblance was intentional” when he wrote the word “her” via X (formerly Twitter), a message Johansson said was “a reference to the movie where I voiced the chat system, Samantha , which creates an intimate relationship with man.”
In the Spike Jonze movie Herwho Johansson claims Altman is referring to, voiced the virtual assistant with whom Joaquin Phoenix’s character develops a relationship.
She noted that two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Altman contacted her agent and asked if she would “reconsider” her decision.
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“Before we could connect, the system was out.”
Johansson said she was “forced to take legal action” by issuing two letters to Altman, asking them to explain in detail how they created Sky’s voice.
She concluded: “At a time when we all struggle with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe that these are issues that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to a solution in the form of transparency and the adoption of appropriate legislation to ensure the protection of individual rights .”
PEOPLE has reached out to OpenAI for comment.
The company confirmed concerns about Sky’s voice on Monday X, saying it would “pause use of Sky while we address them”.
In a blog post shared on its website, OpenAI explained how the voices were chosen for the system.
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The company wrote in part, “Each of the five different voices you hear was carefully selected through an extensive five-month process involving professional voice actors, talent agencies, casting directors and industry consultants.”
OpenAI later noted that each actor was “paid at above-market rates,” a policy that “will continue as long as their voices are used in our products.”
He said he received “over 400 applications” from hopefuls who wanted to take part and selected five finalists, who each flew in to record their votes in September.
“Sky’s voice is not Scarlett Johansson’s and was never meant to be like hers,” Altman said Entertainment Weekly in a statement on Monday. “We assigned a voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any contact with Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused the use of Sky’s voice in our products. We apologize to Ms. Johansson for not communicating better.”
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Source: HIS Education