Los Angeles, Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson has accused OpenAI of snatching her voice for a new chatzy called "Sky", even though she rejected the company's offer.
The artificial intelligence company announced on Monday that it has decided to "pause" the Sky feature after questions were raised about the voice feature.
The company posted on its official
In a statement to US news outlet Variety, Johansson said that in September 2023, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman approached her about hiring the company to provide the voice for Chatty 4.0, but she declined for "personal reasons". This proposal was rejected.
Johansson said, "When I heard the demos that were released, I was shocked, angry, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that was so similar to mine that my close friends and news outlets would differentiate. Couldn't tell.,
She added, "Mr. Altman also hinted that the similarity was intentional by tweeting the single word 'her' – a reference to the film in which I voiced Samantha, a chat system who forms an intimate relationship with a human being."
On Monday, OpenAI also posted a blog in which the company said that Skye's voice was not an imitation of Johansson, but of a different professional actress.
“We believe that AI voices should not intentionally mimic a celebrity's specific voice – Skye's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson, but of a different professional actress using her natural speaking voice.
"To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents," the company posted.
Johansson, 39, also revealed that Altman contacted her agent two days before the release of the Chatzy 4.0 demo and urged her to reconsider the decision."Two days before the demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent and asked me to reconsider. Before we could connect, the system was out there. As a result of his actions, I had to hire legal counsel. They were forced to write two letters to M. Altman and OpenAI, explaining what they had done and asking them for details of the exact process by which they created the 'Sky' voice. As a result, OpenAI reluctantly removed the 'Sky' voice. Agreed to,'' she said in the statement.
Johansson also called for a law that would protect individuals from having their name, image or likeness misused.
“At a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the security of our likeness, our work, our identity, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity.
"I look forward to passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure a solution in the form of transparency and protection of individual rights," she wrote.,
Asked for comment on the matter, Altman reiterated in another statement that the voice used by the company for Sky was that of a different actor and had nothing to do with Johansson.
“We involved the voice actor behind Skye's voice before any access was given to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have stopped using Skye's voice in your products.We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we did not communicate better," the statement read.
The artificial intelligence company announced on Monday that it has decided to "pause" the Sky feature after questions were raised about the voice feature.
The company posted on its official
In a statement to US news outlet Variety, Johansson said that in September 2023, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman approached her about hiring the company to provide the voice for Chatty 4.0, but she declined for "personal reasons". This proposal was rejected.
Johansson said, "When I heard the demos that were released, I was shocked, angry, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that was so similar to mine that my close friends and news outlets would differentiate. Couldn't tell.,
She added, "Mr. Altman also hinted that the similarity was intentional by tweeting the single word 'her' – a reference to the film in which I voiced Samantha, a chat system who forms an intimate relationship with a human being."
On Monday, OpenAI also posted a blog in which the company said that Skye's voice was not an imitation of Johansson, but of a different professional actress.
“We believe that AI voices should not intentionally mimic a celebrity's specific voice – Skye's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson, but of a different professional actress using her natural speaking voice.
"To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents," the company posted.
Johansson, 39, also revealed that Altman contacted her agent two days before the release of the Chatzy 4.0 demo and urged her to reconsider the decision."Two days before the demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent and asked me to reconsider. Before we could connect, the system was out there. As a result of his actions, I had to hire legal counsel. They were forced to write two letters to M. Altman and OpenAI, explaining what they had done and asking them for details of the exact process by which they created the 'Sky' voice. As a result, OpenAI reluctantly removed the 'Sky' voice. Agreed to,'' she said in the statement.
Johansson also called for a law that would protect individuals from having their name, image or likeness misused.
“At a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the security of our likeness, our work, our identity, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity.
"I look forward to passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure a solution in the form of transparency and protection of individual rights," she wrote.,
Asked for comment on the matter, Altman reiterated in another statement that the voice used by the company for Sky was that of a different actor and had nothing to do with Johansson.
“We involved the voice actor behind Skye's voice before any access was given to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have stopped using Skye's voice in your products.We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we did not communicate better," the statement read.
