Actress Scarlett Johansson engages in a public dispute with OpenAI over the alleged use of her likeness in the new voice assistant named Sky, drawing attention to concerns about AI replicating artists’ identities.
Scarlett Johansson is engaged in a public dispute with OpenAI, accusing the company of using her likeness without consent. The issue arose after OpenAI introduced a new voice assistant named Sky, which many found strikingly similar to Johansson’s voice. On Monday, Johansson threatened legal action, revealing that she had rejected OpenAI’s offer to lend her voice for its GPT-4.0 chatbot. Despite her refusal, OpenAI proceeded with the launch of Sky, leading to widespread recognition and media comparisons to Johansson’s character from the movie “Her.”
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, who has often praised “Her” as his favorite film, tweeted “her” following the launch, furthering suspicions that the voice was intended to mirror Johansson’s. Johansson disclosed that Altman had approached her twice in September 2023, proposing that her voice could bridge the gap between technology and creativity. After her refusal, Sky debuted with a demo that quickly drew comparisons to Johansson.
OpenAI has since paused the usage of Sky’s voice, insisting it was not an imitation but rather the voice of a different professional actress. However, Johansson’s legal team sent two letters demanding transparency about the creation process of Sky’s voice. Legal experts suggest Johansson may have a strong claim under California’s right-of-publicity laws, which protect the use of a person’s likeness for commercial purposes without consent. This dispute highlights ongoing concerns among artists about AI technology replicating their identities.
