Scarlett Johansson says she 'was shocked, angered and in disbelief' claiming that the company OpenAI took her voice without her consent for a new ChatGPT project.
The Academy Award-nominated actress, 39, issued a statement via her publicist Marcel Pariseau to NPR, explaining the issue in detail on Monday.
Johansson said that after she declined a deal to let the company use her voice, they went ahead and used a voice indistinguishable from her own.
'Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system, ' the New York City native said. 'He told me that he felt that by my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers to feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and Al.
'He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people. After much consideration and for personal reasons, declined the offer.'
Scarlett Johansson, 39, says she 'was shocked, angered and in disbelief' claiming that the company OpenAI took her voice without her consent for a new ChatGPT project. Pictured last month in Washington, DC
Johansson, who provided her voice for the role of an AI named Samantha in the 2013 film Her, said that less than a year later, it was apparent that the company forged ahead with their plans involving her voice.
'Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named "Sky" sounded like me,' Johansson said. 'When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference.
'Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word "her" – a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.'
Johansson said that Altman contacted her agent 'two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released' asking her to reconsider their offer to work for them.
'Before we could connect, the system was out there,' Johansson said. 'As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAl, setting out what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the "Sky" voice.'
Johansson said OpenAl 'reluctantly agreed to take down the "Sky" voice' after she contacted them.
Johansson said she hopes the information she's gone public with prompts AI to publicly admit their actions, and for the government to step in and establish laws so AI cannot overstep its boundaries moving forward.
'In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity,' Johansson said.
Johansson said she hopes the information she's gone public with prompts AI to publicly admit their actions, and for the government to step in and establish laws so AI cannot overstep its boundaries moving forward
The Academy Award-nominated actress issued a statement via her publicist Marcel Pariseau to NPR, explaining the issue in detail on Monday
Johansson said that after she declined a deal to let the company use her voice, they went ahead and used a voice indistinguishable from her own
She added: 'I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected.'
The voice Johansson claims was akin to her own, titled 'Sky,' was one of five voices OpenAI made available last fall, according to The Washington Post, which added that the company suspended the voice being used as of Sunday.
The company said in a blog that it had trained voices for the audio option of its more developed AI program, and compensated voice actors with 'above top-of-market rates' for their work in the program.
Johansson and her spouse, Saturday Night Live personality Colin Jost, 41, are parents to son Cosmo, two. The actress is also mother to daughter Rose Dauriac, nine, with ex-husband Romain Dauriac, 42.
