Scarlett Johansson is suing OpenAI for copying her voice
23 may 2024 в 08:39
Scarlett Johansson spoke out against OpenAI after the company seemingly copied her voice for their new program «Sky» in a statement published on Monday, May 20. The statement was published on social media by NPR technology correspondent Bobby Allyn. During the statement, the 39-year-old actress revealed that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, 39, approached her with an offer to be the voice of the program, but she declined. Now that the similarity has become apparent, she announced that she is taking legal action.
Scarlett explained that the tech entrepreneur approached her about the project and explained his motives, but she refused. «He told me he believed that my voice in the system could bridge the gap between tech companies and creative people and help consumers feel comfortable in light of the seismic shift in relationships between humans and AI. He said he believed my voice would be comforting to people», - she said. «After much thought and for personal reasons, I declined the offer».
Scarlett said that after her refusal, several people pointed out the similarity to her, and she said that when she heard this, she was «shocked, angry, and baffled that Mr. Altman decided to use a voice that sounded so eerily like mine that my close friends and news agencies couldn’t tell the difference». She also noted that he «hinted» at the similarity by posting a tweet «Her», - referring to Scarlett’s role in the 2013 film of the same name.
The «Lost in Translation» actress continued and said that shortly before the program was released, Sam contacted her agent to ask her to «reconsider» his offer, but before she could respond, the software was already available. She said that after the release, she had to seek advice.
In the conclusion of her statement, Scarlett emphasized the importance of controlling her image and hopes that legislation will be enacted to clearly define laws in this area. «In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and protecting our own image, our own work, our own identity, I believe these issues deserve absolute clarity», - she wrote.
Although OpenAI withdrew the «Sky» program over the weekend, the company published a blog post clarifying that they did not attempt to mimic any specific voice. «We believe that AI voices should not intentionally mimic a celebrity’s unique voice — the voice of Sky is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson, but belongs to another professional actress using her own natural voice», - they wrote.
Following Scarlett’s statement, her MCU franchise colleague Mark Ruffalo expressed support in a post on X (formerly Twitter). «This is just the beginning. Time to go and hug a tree», - he wrote
Scarlett explained that the tech entrepreneur approached her about the project and explained his motives, but she refused. «He told me he believed that my voice in the system could bridge the gap between tech companies and creative people and help consumers feel comfortable in light of the seismic shift in relationships between humans and AI. He said he believed my voice would be comforting to people», - she said. «After much thought and for personal reasons, I declined the offer».
Scarlett said that after her refusal, several people pointed out the similarity to her, and she said that when she heard this, she was «shocked, angry, and baffled that Mr. Altman decided to use a voice that sounded so eerily like mine that my close friends and news agencies couldn’t tell the difference». She also noted that he «hinted» at the similarity by posting a tweet «Her», - referring to Scarlett’s role in the 2013 film of the same name.
The «Lost in Translation» actress continued and said that shortly before the program was released, Sam contacted her agent to ask her to «reconsider» his offer, but before she could respond, the software was already available. She said that after the release, she had to seek advice.
In the conclusion of her statement, Scarlett emphasized the importance of controlling her image and hopes that legislation will be enacted to clearly define laws in this area. «In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and protecting our own image, our own work, our own identity, I believe these issues deserve absolute clarity», - she wrote.
Although OpenAI withdrew the «Sky» program over the weekend, the company published a blog post clarifying that they did not attempt to mimic any specific voice. «We believe that AI voices should not intentionally mimic a celebrity’s unique voice — the voice of Sky is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson, but belongs to another professional actress using her own natural voice», - they wrote.
Following Scarlett’s statement, her MCU franchise colleague Mark Ruffalo expressed support in a post on X (formerly Twitter). «This is just the beginning. Time to go and hug a tree», - he wrote
© Artemenko Olga
