The world of artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving, and with it come new ethical and legal questions. Recently, a controversy erupted between Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson and OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT.
The Allegation: Voice Without Permission?
The controversy basically centres around a voice option introduced in a recent ChatGPT-4o update. Johansson claims that this voice, codenamed "Sky," sounded uncannily similar to her own, particularly the voice she used for the AI character Samantha in the sci-fi film "Her." According to reports, Johansson had previously declined an offer from OpenAI to lend her voice to the project. This alleged unauthorised use of a voice likeness sparked outrage from the actress.
In her statement given to Bobby Allan of NPR, Scarlett Johansson mentions: "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,” the statement adds.
Statement from Scarlett Johansson on the OpenAI situation. Wow: pic.twitter.com/8ibMeLfqP8
— Bobby Allyn (@BobbyAllyn) May 20, 2024
Why Did This Cause a Stir?
Johansson's concern is twofold. Firstly, she feels that OpenAI recreated her voice without her consent or compensation. This raises questions about the ownership and control over an actor's voice in the age of advanced AI technology. Secondly, the voice mirrored Samantha's personality in "Her," potentially blurring the lines between reality and AI manipulation.
What Happened Next?
Johansson, understandably frustrated, took legal action. Her representatives contacted OpenAI, demanding the removal of the "Sky" voice. OpenAI responded swiftly by "pausing" the voice option, citing respect for Johansson. However, they haven't explicitly denied replicating her voice, adding fuel to the controversy.
Scarlett in her statement mentions: “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 statement to Fox Business OpenAI’s Sam Altman mentions: “The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson's, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better."
In a blog post OpenAI states that the voice does not belong to Scarlett Johansson but to different professionals. "We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice—Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice. To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents," the post read.
We’ve heard questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky. We are working to pause the use of Sky while we address them.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) May 20, 2024
Read more about how we chose these voices: https://t.co/R8wwZjU36L
The "Sky" voice is currently unavailable, but whether this is a temporary setback or a permanent resolution remains unclear. This controversy might pave the way for clearer guidelines and regulations regarding AI-generated voices and their use. This situation serves as a stark reminder of the ethical considerations surrounding AI development.
Comments
All Comments (0)
Join the conversation