Scarlett Johansson recently revealed that she was invited by OpenAI to voice ChatGPT, but after she declined, the company created a voice that sounds remarkably similar to hers. Johansson stated in a statement that she has "been forced to hire legal counsel" and sent two letters to OpenAI asking how they created a voice similar to ChatGPT called Sky.
In her statement, Johansson wrote, "Last September, I received an invitation from Sam Altman to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system. However, for personal reasons, I politely declined the proposal. But what shocked me was that nine months later, friends, family, and the public pointed out that the latest system 'Sky' sounds astonishingly similar to me."
Altman had previously publicly expressed his admiration for Johansson and mentioned the movie "Her," in which Johansson voiced an AI assistant. In last week's update demonstration of ChatGPT, a distinctive voice highly resembling Johansson's voice in the film garnered widespread attention and discussion.
Under public pressure, Altman issued a statement denying that Sky's voice was an imitation of Johansson's and stated that they did not contact Johansson before choosing a voice actor. He emphasized that out of respect for Johansson, OpenAI has suspended the use of Sky's voice in their products and apologized for the lack of proper communication with Johansson.
OpenAI announced on Monday that they will withdraw Sky's voice to address the controversy surrounding "how we choose voices in ChatGPT." Johansson stated that she is seeking a clear explanation and has requested OpenAI to provide detailed information about the creation process of the Sky voice.
Since OpenAI introduced the voice mode of ChatGPT last September, Sky's voice has been available. However, it was not until last week when OpenAI demonstrated an updated AI model that the similarity to Johansson's assistant in "Her" became evident. The demonstration's striking resemblance to Johansson's assistant in "Her" made headlines and even became a subject of jokes on "Saturday Night Live."
Johansson's statement further stated, "When I heard the demonstration, I was shocked, angry, and incredulous. Mr. Altman implied that this similarity was intentional and even used the word 'her,' which is clearly a reference to the movie I voiced."
Johansson's representative also sent the same statement, emphasizing the importance of protecting personal image, work, and identity in an era of rampant deepfakes. She looks forward to addressing the issue through transparency and appropriate legislation to ensure the protection of individual rights.
The full statement is as follows:
"Last September, I received an invitation from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system. He told me that he believed my voice could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives, and help consumers feel comfortable adapting to the significant shift between humans and AI. He said he thought my voice would make people feel at ease.
After careful consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the proposal. Nine months later, my friends, family, and the public noticed how much the latest system 'Sky' sounds like me.
When I heard the released demonstration, I was shocked, angry, and incredulous that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounds so remarkably similar to mine that even my closest friends and the media couldn't tell the difference. Mr. Altman even implied that this similarity was intentional, using the word 'her' - a reference to the movie in which I voiced the chat system Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a person.
A couple of days before the release of the ChatGPT 4.0 demonstration, Mr. Altman reached out to my agent asking me to reconsider. By the time we were able to connect, the system had already been launched.
Due to their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAI outlining what they have done and requesting a detailed explanation of how they created the 'Sky' voice. As a result, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to remove the 'Sky' voice.
In an era where we are all grappling with deepfakes and protecting our own image, work, and identity, I believe these issues deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to addressing the issue through transparency and appropriate legislation to help ensure the protection of individual rights."
