OpenAI is pulling back its flirty and "very friendly" voice amid backlash that the tech company is catering to male fantasies with its latest ChatGPT update.
Why it matters: Female voices and personalities have long been used as the default for virtual assistants, which experts say reinforces gender stereotypes and fuels misogyny.
The intrigue: OpenAI's volte-face comes a week after CEO Sam Altman tweeted just one word — "her," the name of the 2013 Spike Jonze film about a man who falls in love with an AI.
In the movie, the AI's voice was played by Scarlett Johansson.
💠Our thought bubble, via Axios' Scott Rosenberg: OpenAI hasn't indicated it has any qualms or concerns about the over-friendliness of "Sky," the voice in its demo. But the company wants everyone to understand that "Sky" has no relationship whatsoever to Johansson.
That suggests OpenAI's announced "pause" in using Sky's voice might have more to do with legal concerns than sensitivity over sexism.
What we're watching: Whichever voice they replace this one with, if the tone remains flirtatious, the criticism remains valid.
