ChatGPT remove AI voice likened to Scarlett Johansson
OpenAI have removed one of the characters from their new ChatGPT 4o model due to a likeness to Hollywood actor Scarlett Johansson.
The similarity to Johansson relates to the voice of Sky, which became available to use as part of the service’s new ‘Voice Mode’. The likeness was drawn to the character in the 2013 film Her, which sees Johansson play a phone operating system that Joaquin Phoenix’s character falls in love with, in the movie. Breeze, Cove, Ember, and Juniper were other voices that are available in ‘Voice Mode’.
Notably, during the demo for ‘Voice Mode’, OpenAI founder Sam Altman posted “her” on his X account, and has also previously named the Spike Jonze flick as his favourite movie of all-time.
Speaking at Dreamforce 2023 in San Francisco last year, Altman said: “I like Her. The things Her got right—like the whole interaction models of how people use AI—that was incredibly prophetic.”
While OpenAI has denied that Sky was directly linked to Her, they revealed on May 20th: “We’ve heard questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky. We are working to pause the use of Sky while we address them.”
In a blog post, the technology company explained of the creative process behind ‘Voice Mod’: “We support the creative community and worked closely with the voice acting industry to ensure we took the right steps to cast ChatGPT’s voices. Each actor receives compensation above top-of-market rates, and this will continue for as long as their voices are used in our products.
Their statement continued: “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. To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents.”
OpenAI claim they went through a lengthy casting process before selecting the individuals to be voice actors, who were then flown out to San Francisco last June and July to record their roles. They say they received “over 400 submissions from voice and screen actors” before finding the suitable candidates.
They concluded: “Looking ahead, you can expect even more options as we plan to introduce additional voices in ChatGPT to better match the diverse interests and preferences of users.”
While Johansson hasn’t acknowledged the similarities with OpenAI’s latest venture, last year, the actor filed legal action against the developers of an artificial intelligence application that used her likeness and name in one of their online advertisements without permission.
Johansson’s attorney, Kevin Yorn, said in a statement, “We do not take these things lightly. Per our usual course of action in these circumstances, we will deal with it with all legal remedies that we will have.” The advert was quickly removed following legal action.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.