 "Many people were surprised by how similar ChatGPT's Sky sounded to Scarlett Johansson's portrayal of an AI voice assitsant in 'Her'. Image Credit: Reuters")
Scarlett Johansson may be the latest artist to sue Sam Altman-led OpenAI. The reason? OpenAI apparently used her voice for their AI voice assistant, despite her clear refusal to be a part of the project.
OpenAI made some massive headlines last week thanks to its GPT-4o powered ChatGPT, and the demos it showed. The biggest takeaway from these videos was the conversational interface that ChatGPT got. Keen-eyed observers noticed that the voice assistant that OpenAI’s employees were using, Sky, sounded a lot like the AI assistant in the movie Her, played by Scarlett Johansson.
Furthermore, what made things more suspicious was the constant reference to the film during their demos, which led people to believe that the AI model Johansson was playing, indeed had a crucial role in the development of GPT-4o.
As per a report by the Wired, Johansson claims that OpenAI had reached out to her last September and asked her if she would be interested in providing ChatGPT’s new voice. However, she refused to be a part of the project. Naturally then, when she, with the rest of the world, found out how eerily similar Sky sounded to the AI robot in Her, Johansson was taken aback.
Johansson also claimed that Altman reached out to her agents and pressed for her to reconsider her decision, two days before the demo, hoping that she would agree to work with OpenAI. In her statement, Johansson expressed shock and frustration, especially because Altman seemed to link the demo with her movie performance by tweeting “her” on May 13.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsUpon seeing the demo, Johansson hired a team of legal counsel to pursue OpenAI and get them to explain how they created the supposedly ‘new voice.’
Soon thereafter, OpenAI suspended the use of Sky. Johansson’s statement claims that this happened after she sent OpenAI a notice, demanding an explanation.
The company also posted a blog post outlining the process used to create the voice. “Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice,” the post said.
Last September, OpenAI introduced Sky as one of several synthetic voices for ChatGPT. However, during last week’s event, Sky exhibited a significantly more natural intonation with emotional nuances. In the demonstration, a version of ChatGPT powered by GPT-4o was showcased, engaging in what appeared to be flirtatious conversation with an OpenAI engineer.
Sam Altman, as per a statement from OpenAI, emphasised that the voice of Sky was not meant to mimic Scarlett Johansson’s, nor was it ever intended to do so. Altman explained that the voice actor for Sky was hired prior to any contact with Johansson. In recognition of Johansson’s concerns, OpenAI has halted the use of Sky’s voice in their products as a gesture of respect. Altman expressed regret for the lack of clear communication with Johansson and apologised for any misunderstanding.
OpenAI’s dispute with Scarlett Johansson adds to its ongoing legal disputes with artists, writers, and other creatives. The company is currently facing multiple lawsuits alleging unauthorized use of copyrighted material to train its algorithms, including legal actions from The New York Times and authors like George R.R. Martin.
The emergence of generative AI has significantly simplified the process of creating realistic synthetic voices, bringing about both opportunities and risks. For instance, in January, voters in New Hampshire received numerous robocalls featuring a deepfake voice message purportedly from Joe Biden. Moreover, in March, OpenAI revealed the development of technology capable of replicating someone’s voice from a short 15-second clip. However, the company decided against releasing this technology due to concerns over its potential misuse.