Actress Scarlett Johansson said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman used a voice similar to hers in her AI podcast despite declining his invitation to use it.
The response comes after OpenAI said it would pull the ChatGPT AI voice called “Sky,” which was launched last week amid controversy over it sounding like Johansson’s voice in the movie “Her.”
Johansson said Altman approached her last September and then again two days before she announced ChatGPT-4o on May 13. The actress played the voice character in the movie “Her,” which revolves around a man who has a relationship with an artificial intelligence virtual assistant named Samantha.
“After much consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the offer,” Johansson said in a statement to CNBC. “Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public noticed how similar I was to the newest system called 'Sky'.
Altman tweeted the cryptic message “to her” on the day OpenAI announced the new AI.
Johansson's statement continued: “When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angry and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would go with a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that even my closest friends and the media couldn't tell the difference.” “Mr. Altman even hinted that the resemblance was intentional, tweeting out one word 'she'.”
The actress wrote on Monday that she has hired legal counsel. Johansson has clashed with big companies like Disney in the past. In 2021, Johansson and Walt Disney settled a breach of contract lawsuit brought by the “Black Widow” actor against the studio.
“We've heard questions about how we select voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky,” Microsoft-backed OpenAI posted on X on Monday.
“Skye's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson, but belongs to a different professional actress using her 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.
“At a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and protecting our image, our work, and our private identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity,” her statement read. “I look forward to a solution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure the protection of individual rights.”
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the representative's statement.
Here's 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 through my voice for the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creators and help consumers feel comfortable about the seismic shift in terms of humans and AI.” He said he felt my voice would be comforting to people.
After much thought and for personal reasons, I rejected the offer. Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public noticed how similar I was to the latest system called “Sky”.
When I heard the demo released, I was shocked, angry, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would go with a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that even my closest friends and the media couldn't tell the difference. Mr. Altman even hinted that the resemblance was intentional, tweeting one word, “she” — a reference to the movie in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.
Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 beta was released, Mr. Altman called my agent and asked me to reconsider. Before we could communicate, the system was in place
As a result of their actions, I was forced to appoint legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAI, explaining what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the “Sky” sound. Consequently, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to remove the “Sky” sound.
At a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and protecting our image, our work, and our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to a solution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure the protection of individual rights.”
