Scarlett Johansson Isn’t The First To Sound OpenAI Out On Similar ChatGPT Voice

Photo 235599683 © Starstock | Dreamstime.com

Is the all-pervasive ChatGPT a Hollywood star in disguise? The controversy surrounding OpenAI’s artificial intelligence voice technology, codenamed ‘Sky’, has intensified of late. This comes on the heels of its much-anticipated unveiling of its new GPT-4o model. This upgraded version boasts significant advancements in the voice feature, making it more expressive and capable of real-time spoken language translation.

Actress Scarlett Johansson, known for her fierce defense of performer rights in the digital age, has publicly accused the company of replicating her voice without her consent. Sky, which has a flirtatious and humorous personality, bears a perceived resemblance to the voice she embodied in the critically acclaimed film Her.

The A-lister’s unhappiness stems from more than just a sonic similarity. She asserts OpenAI initially approached her to develop a synthetic voice, only to later unveil Sky, a voice eerily reminiscent of her own.

Theories—albeit of a less austere nature—about Johansson literally setting the tone of ChatGPT have been swirling around for some time. In a popular series by TikToker Kyle Philippi, he finds ways to out the chatbot and trick it into admitting it is the star speaking behind the screen herself.

@kylephilippi

Replying to @Kris Payn Shes gonna slip up!! #scarjo #chatgpt #ai #scarlettjohansson

♬ original sound - Kyle Philippi

“Hey, is your voice supposed to be Scarlett Johansson?” Philippi outrightly questioned in a video uploaded in December last year. 

“No, my voice isn’t designed to replicate Scarlett Johansson or any specific person,” ChatGPT vocalized. “The voice in Her portrayed by Scarlett Johansson is indeed known for her warm and engaging quality, similar to what text-to-speech aims for. However, any similarity to Scarlett Johansson’s voice is coincidental,” the language model responded.

“That definitely sounds like something Scarlett Johansson would say,” one viewer replied. Similar sentiments have been shared throughout the comments sections in this series.

OpenAI has vehemently denied Johansson’s claims. According to company records seen by the Washington Post, casting for the project began in mid-2023, predating its contact with the celebrity in September of that year when CEO Sam Altman reached out to ask permission to use her voice for the model.

Additionally, the firm emphasizes a focus on creating a range of diverse and “timeless” voice options, achieved through collaboration with various voice actors.

The company has taken steps to appease the star, pausing the use of the Sky voice in their products. Additionally, it has apologized for shortcomings in communication. 

This isn’t the first time Johansson has taken legal action regarding her digital likeness. Last November, she sued Lisa AI, an image generation app, for allegedly using her image in advertisements without permission.

[via The Washington Post, The Wrap, NBC News, IndieWire, cover photo 235599683 © Starstock | Dreamstime.com]