Scarlett Johansson says lawyers got OpenAI to shut down "Her" voice
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Scarlett Johansson (L) and Colin Jost socialize during the Comcast-NBCU party after the White House Correspondents' Dinner in April. Photo: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Many people think one of OpenAI's voices for ChatGPT sounds awfully like Scarlett Johansson in the AI romance movie "Her." It turns out she does, too — and she has lawyered up.
The big picture: OpenAI announced Monday it was putting a "pause" on offering a voice for ChatGPT known as "Sky" that users have often noted sounds like the AI assistant Johansson played in the 2013 film.
What they're saying: In a statement released Monday night and posted to X by NPR and others, Johansson said she turned down an offer from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman last September to use her voice for ChatGPT 4.0.
- OpenAI used the Sky voice in a high-profile demo last Monday showing off conversational abilities in its new GPT 4o. The demo struck many observers as unusually familiar, even flirtatious.
- Johansson said she was "shocked, angered and in disbelief" to hear how much the AI voice resembled hers.
- She said OpenAI hit "pause" on Sky after her lawyers demanded the company "detail the exact process" it used to develop the voice.
Why it matters: The dispute between the maker of ChatGPT and a performer famous for representing AI will further spook creative artists already suspicious that AI could dilute the value of their work.
Catch up quick: On Monday morning, OpenAI posted a lengthy explanation of how it develops the voices it offers ChatGPT users, including Sky.
- "We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice," OpenAI's post said. "Sky's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice."
- But OpenAI also said it was "working to pause" the availability of Sky.
The intrigue: In her statement, Johansson said Altman made the case last year that her voice would be "comforting to people" and "could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives."
- Johansson said Altman contacted her agent two days before the GPT-4o demo asking her to reconsider, but that the system was released "before we could connect."
- After the demo, Altman posted a single-word message on X that read "her."
Between the lines: Johansson called for more "transparency" and new legislation to protect "individual rights."
- One key question will be whether OpenAI ever used recordings of Johansson's voice to train or shape "Sky."
Update: After this story was published, OpenAI released a new statement from Altman, saying: "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."
Editor's note: This article has been updated with further comment from OpenAI.
