Popular Hollywood actor and Marvel-star Scarlett Johansson has criticised OpenAI for using a voice in its new ChatGPT product that closely resembled her own.

Johansson revealed that she had declined an offer from OpenAI to voice their AI system last year for “personal reasons”. She expressed “shock” and “anger” upon hearing the voice, which she said was so similar to hers that even her closest friends and news outlets couldn’t tell the difference.

She said that Altman initially approached her, saying her voice could help bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives. “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,” she told American magazine Variety.

Reportedly, Altman even contacted her agent again two days before the voice’s release, urging her to reconsider. Johansson’s lawyers then intervened to have the voice removed.

Despite comparisons made by commentators, including Johansson’s husband, Colin Jost, on ‘Saturday Night Live’, others criticised the voice for its gendered tone. 

No more ‘Sky’ voice for ChatGPT users

OpenAI removed the voice option from ChatGPT on Monday after widespread backlash and comparisons to Johansson’s voice. The company had used this voice, called ‘Sky’, during a recent event to showcase the capabilities of the new ChatGPT-4o model. The voice’s similarities to Johansson’s character in the 2013 film ‘Her’ were immediately noted by users and media.

The company has replaced it with another voice called Juniper. Sky, Juniper and three other voices had been available since September. 

OpenAI clarifies ChatGPT voice not of Scarlett Johansson

OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, seemed to acknowledge the resemblance with a one-word tweet, “her”, following the event. However, less than a week later, OpenAI clarified that Sky was not based on Johansson, explaining in a blog post that the voice belonged to a different professional actress using her natural 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 blogpost read. “To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents.”

OpenAI defended its choice, stating that the selected voices were chosen for their ‘timeless’ quality and ability to inspire trust. The company reviewed hundreds of voice acting submissions before selecting five options, recording them in San Francisco to train its models.

The removal of Sky’s voice came shortly after the resignation of several top members of OpenAI’s safety team, with key researcher Jan Leike accusing the company of prioritising “shiny products” over safety. Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman defended the company’s safety practices, asserting they would not release an unsafe product.

OpenAI’s blog post emphasised its collaboration with entertainment professionals and compensation for voice actors, amid growing concerns and legal challenges from entertainers and media companies about AI’s impact on human jobs and potential copyright violations. 

AI companies, especially OpenAI, have been the focus of intense pushback, including lawsuits, from entertainers, creators and media companies over allegations of copyright violations and concern that AI will replace human workers. Major entertainment unions, like Sag-Aftra, have even gone on strike over issues related to AI use of their likenesses.

Read Johansson’s full statement:

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 Al. 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 OpenAl, setting out what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the ‘Sky’ voice. Consequently, OpenAl 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.

First Published: May 21 2024 | 10:07 AM IST