Key Takeaways:
OpenAI has found itself shrouded in controversy after a female voice on the latest version of its large language model (LLM) – GPT-4 Omni – sounded eerily similar to Hollywood superstar Scarlett Johansson.
Johansson accused the Microsoft-backed AI startup of copying her voice without consent after she had initially declined CEO Sam Altman’s advances to license it.
Scarlett Johansson Accuses OpenAI of Using Her Voice Without Permission
A recent report by the Washington Post suggested that OpenAI made a casting call last year and hired a voice actress for the role of ‘Sky’ months before Altman contacted Johansson. Documents obtained by the media outlet reveal that a voice actor for Sky was hired well in advance of any communication with the ‘Her’ and ‘Black Widow’ actress.
Internal documents show that during the casting process, OpenAI did not disclose that it was looking for someone with a voice similar to the Hollywood celebrity. The agent representing the voice actor confirmed that neither Johansson nor her movie “Her” was ever mentioned during the hiring process.
In “Her”, Johansson voices an AI voice bot called Samantha, which the film’s protagonist, played by Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix, falls in love with after talking to her through his phone and computer.
OpenAI Removes ‘Sky’ From GPT-4o
The similar-sounding voice didn’t go unnoticed by GPT-4o users, who joked that ‘Sky’ should renamed as Samantha. However, OpenAI insisted in its latest blog post that these parallels are merely a coincidence.
On Sunday, the company announced that it was pausing the use of ‘Sky’ on the ChatGPT app’s voice mode. In the blog post, OpenAI reiterated that Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson and belongs to a professional voice actress who used her own natural speaking voice to bring the chatbot to life.
The company did not reveal the actress’s name for privacy reasons.
Meanwhile, Johansson maintains that she was approached by Altman in September to become one of ChatGPT’s voices, an offer she declined. She suggested that the similarity between her voice and Sky was intentional, pointing fingers to Altman’s cryptic tweet in the follow-up to GPT-4o’s release that contained the word ‘her’ as evidence.
The OpenAI CEO has spoken about “Her” as one of his favorite sci-fi movies, even calling it “incredibly prophetic”. On the day of GPT-4o’s release, Altman even cheekily tweeted the word “Her”.
Following Johansson’s allegation, SAG-AFTRA, an organization representing American television and radio artists, came out in support of the actress. To not escalate the situation any further, OpenAI quickly removed ‘Sky’ from the list of voice options on the ChatGPT app.
The controversy highlights the growing debate over the use of actors’ voices and images by AI companies in their systems. Hollywood studios are now grappling with how to effectively use AI technology to enhance the entertainment industry while ensuring that AI can be differentiated from effort by real humans.
Scarlett Johansson Won a Legal Battle Against Disney Marvel Over Payday
In 2021, Johansson won a lengthy legal battle against Disney over her payday in the Marvel installment ‘Black Widow’, where she played the protagonist. The actress filed the suit in the Los Angeles Superior Court claiming that the studio sacrificed the movie’s box office potential to promote the Disney+ streaming service.
Disney countered the argument by saying they paid Johansson $20 million for the film.
In her complaint, Johansson said that Marvel guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release when she signed on for the project. She alleges that the studio breached the contract by releasing the movie simultaneously on Disney’s streaming platform.
Black Widow was one of many big-budget movies to come out in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic that had to be released in both cinemas and streaming services due to public restrictions imposed by global governments.
The OpenAI vs Scarlett Johansson situation is most likely to be handled indoors due to the company’s plausible-deniability-speak.
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