sixthblog

 Scarlett Johansson has raised concerns about OpenAI possibly using her voice without authorization, despite her clear directive not to use it.

Scarlett Johansson revealed that OpenAI requested her to be the voice for ChatGPT. When she declined, she alleges that the company went ahead and developed a voice that closely resembled hers. In a statement to NPR, Johansson shared that she has had to hire legal counsel and has sent two letters to OpenAI questioning the creation of the voice named Sky. She explained that last September, Sam Altman offered her the role for the ChatGPT 4.0 system. Altman contacted her agent again just two days before the demo, urging her to reconsider.

Johansson expressed her frustration with OpenAI's actions, feeling compelled to seek legal advice to address the situation. She emphasized that her refusal was clear, yet the company proceeded with a voice imitation, raising ethical and legal concerns. The repeated attempts by Altman to persuade her, even shortly before the public demonstration of ChatGPT, highlighted the urgency and importance the company placed on having her voice, which ultimately led to the current dispute.

Early Monday morning, OpenAI announced the removal of the voice known as Sky from ChatGPT. This decision was made to address concerns regarding the selection process for the voices used in ChatGPT. The company aims to ensure transparency and respond to the questions raised about how these voices were chosen, particularly in light of the controversy surrounding Scarlett Johansson's allegations about the use of a voice imitation resembling hers without proper consent.

Scarlett Johansson expressed being "shocked, angered, and in disbelief" over how "eerily similar" the voice of Sky sounded to her own. OpenAI stated that the voice is from an actor using their normal voice but declined to reveal the actor’s name due to privacy concerns. Sky’s voice has been available since ChatGPT’s voice mode launched last September. The similarity to Johansson became evident with an updated AI model demo last week, sparking comparisons to her role in "Her" and even leading to a joke on Saturday Night Live. Johansson seeks transparency and has asked OpenAI to detail the creation process of Sky’s voice. OpenAI's CTO Mira Murati claimed the voice was not intended to mimic Johansson, and the company is in discussions with her representatives.

A representative for Scarlett Johansson sent the following statement to The Verge:

“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 my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers to feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and AI. He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people.  

After much consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the offer. Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named “Sky” sounded like me. 

When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference. Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word “her” - a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human. 

Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent, asking me to reconsider. Before we could connect, the system was out there.

As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire 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. Consequently, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to take down the “Sky” voice. 

In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected.”