Scarlett Johansson Condemns 'Eerily Similar' ChatGPT Voice – PCMag UK
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Scarlett Johansson is speaking out against OpenAI after the company claimed in a blog post yesterday that its ChatGPT voice Sky wasn’t “an imitation” of the Her actress.
In a statement provided to PCMag, Johansson says:
Johansson’s statement comes nearly eight months after OpenAI first released its voice feature for ChatGPT, where Android and iOS mobile users can chat with one of five different ChatGPT voices. But last week, OpenAI showed off its new ChatGPT-4o model with a “flirty” voice that sounds like Johansson. That same day, Altman made the “Her” tweet.
In response, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman insisted that “the voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”
Over the weekend, Johansson’s husband Colin Jost made a joke on Saturday Night Live about the striking similarities between Johansson’s voice and ChatGPT’s, stating that it was “inspired” by her AI character in the 2013 movie Her. At time of writing, Sky is still available on ChatGPT’s iOS mobile app.
Considering Hollywood actors went on strike for months last year in large part due to concerns over AI stealing their voices or jobs without their consent, OpenAI now has some damage control to do if it plans to take its tech, like Sora, to the big screen.
Johansson, meanwhile, has no trouble taking legal action. She sued Disney for releasing Black Widow simultaneously on streaming and in theaters, which she said was a breach of contract. The two sides later settled.
I’m a reporter covering early morning news. Prior to joining PCMag in 2024, I was a reporter and producer at Decrypt and launched its gaming vertical, GG. I have previous bylines with Input, Game Rant, and Dot Esports. I’ve been a PC gamer since The Sims (yes, the original). In 2020, I finally built my first PC with a 3090 graphics card, but also regularly use Mac and iOS devices as well. As a reporter, I’m passionate about uncovering scoops and documenting the wide world of tech and how it affects our daily lives.
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