Why Scarlett Johansson Is Angry With ChatGPT - Did AI Really Copy Her?

OpenAI's ChatGPT system used a voice that sounds uncannily like Hollywood superstar Scarlett Johansson, and the actress is speaking out about the issue.

In a statement provided to Variety, Johansson notes that she was approached by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and asked to provide a voice for his AI platform, and she declined but was ultimately shocked when she heard the voice — because it sounded so much like her own.

"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," Johansson said in her statement. 

Altman, unfortunately, told on himself with a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on May 13 when the voice, named Sky, launched on the platform, writing one single word: "her." Johansson apparently noticed this and noted in her statement that Altman made a clear reference in regards to Sky's voice to the Spike Jonze film "Her," where Johansson voices Samantha, an AI companion who strikes up a strange relationship with the lonely Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix). Altman fired back, but the damage is definitely done where Johansson is concerned ... and frankly, this opens up a much larger conversation about the use of AI when it comes to artists whose voices and likenesses are easily attainable thanks to their work in film and television.

So what does Sam Altman have to say about the fact that Scarlett Johansson turned down a gig where she would provide her voice to OpenAI, only for the company to use a voice that sounds uncannily like her? He flat-out denied that it was ever meant to duplicate Johansson's voice. "The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson's, and it was never intended to resemble hers," Altman said in a statement. "We cast the voice actor behind Sky's voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky's voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn't communicate better."

The company did stop using the voice of "Sky," which Johansson believes sounds just like her, and the company itself also released a statement attempting to clarify that Sky's voice was provided by an unnamed actor. "We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice — Sky's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice," OpenAI said in the statement.

While these statements do address Johansson's extremely specific concerns, this entire situation brings up a bigger conversation, which is how easily AI tools can be used to imitate public figures. To that point, this type of problem was a big part of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes that shook up the industry in 2023.

In a 2023 episode of Charlie Brooker's anthology series "Black Mirror" titled "Joan is Awful," a woman named Joan ("Schitt's Creek" veteran Annie Murphy) realizes a streaming service is using her likeness in a popular series that depicts every moment of her life, which sparks a larger plot about the company (which bears some distinct similarities to Netflix) using anyone's likeness using AI to create entertainment. In a disturbing way, the episode predicted a proposal set forth by studios during the double strike in 2023, wherein background actors' likenesses would be scanned after they were paid for one day of work, leading to their likenesses then being used in perpetuity. 

Elsewhere in her statement, Johansson said, "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," she said. "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 use of AI was a major sticking point during the joint strikes, with writers and actors alike rightfully concerned that major studios would overlook input from actual humans and cut costs by simply using tools like ChatGPT or manufactured voices or likenesses. It's encouraging that a star of Johansson's standing and caliber is speaking out against a situation that does seem intentional on OpenAI's part based on the evidence at hand — but it's clear that the Hollywood battle over artificial intelligence is just getting started.