Scarlett Johansson Said No, but OpenAI’s Virtual Assistant Sounds Just Like Her

Actress Scarlett Johansson has accused OpenAI of using a voice eerily similar to hers for its new chatbot, despite her refusal to license her voice to the company. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, had reportedly approached Johansson twice in the past year for the same, but was declined both times. Following her complaint, Johansson has hired a lawyer and demanded that OpenAI cease using the voice, referred to as "Sky". In response, OpenAI suspended the release of "Sky" and clarified in a blog post that the voice was not an imitation of Johansson's but belonged to a different professional actress.

This incident has been seen as a peculiar case of life imitating art, as Johansson had previously voiced an AI system in the movie "Her". The film narrates the story of a man falling for a virtual assistant, a role eerily similar to the current situation with OpenAI's virtual assistant. The company's CEO, Sam Altman, seemed to acknowledge this similarity in a post with the single word "her".

Key takeaways

Scarlett Johansson has accused OpenAI of using a voice that sounds 'eerily similar to hers' for its new chatbot, despite her refusals to license her voice.
OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, had twice asked Johansson to consider licensing her voice for a virtual assistant.
Johansson has hired a lawyer and asked OpenAI to stop using the voice it called 'Sky.' OpenAI suspended its release of 'Sky' over the weekend.
OpenAI claims that 'Sky's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.'

Scarlett Johansson Said No, but OpenAI’s Virtual Assistant Sounds Just Like Her

Key takeaways

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