Scarlett Johansson has responded to OpenAI and Sam Altman in a recent statement regarding Sky, one of ChatGPT’s new voices, that is eerily similar to the actor’s.
The star states, “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 voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and AI. He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people.”
The actor cites personal reasons why she declined to participate in the project, and nine months later, her family, friends, and the public would comment on how much the new system “Sky” sounded like Johansson.
“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr Altman would pursue a voice that sounded eerily similar to mine,” the actor said.
The voice is apparently uncanny, so much so that Johansson’s closest friends, family members, and news outlets couldn’t even tell the difference between Sky and the actor.
Furthermore, Johansson claims that Altman insinuated that the similarity was intentional as he posted a single word on X, “Her,” which many believe refers to the film ‘Her,’ in which Johansson voices a chat system called Samantha.
Allegedly, a few days before the system was released, Altman contacted Johansson’s agent, asking them to “reconsider” despite the system already being “out there.”
“I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote 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” voices,” the actor said.
At that time, OpenAI “reluctantly” agreed to remove Sky.
“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,” Johansson concluded.
This shocking revelation highlights the various issues surfacing today surrounding using a person’s likeness without their consent.
This has happened to many famous celebrities, including Katy Perry, who was “seen” at the Met Gala, an event she never attended.
The likeness of celebrities is often being used in a nefarious way, as Taylor Swift was made a victim of non-consensual deepfake pornography earlier this year when sexually explicit deepfakes were created and distributed across social media.
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