Scarlett Johansson 'shocked' by AI chatbot impersonation

Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson recently expressed outrage about a new OpenAI chatbot. The actress was “shocked” and “angry” to find that the chatbot's voice was “eerily similar” to hers. Johansson had previously declined a request from the company to lend her voice to the new chatbot, which reads text aloud to users.

Comparisons with the movie Her

When the new model was launched last week, commentators were quick to draw comparisons between the chatbot's “Sky” voice and Johansson's voice in the movie Here from 2013. In this film, Johansson plays the voice of Samantha, a chat system that engages in an intimate relationship with a human, played by Joaquin Phoenix.

OpenAI Response

OpenAI responded on Monday by announcing that they would remove the voice. The company emphasized that it was not intended to imitate Johansson. However, Johansson accused the company and its founder, Sam Altman, of deliberately copying her voice. In a statement seen by the BBC on Monday evening, Johansson wrote: “When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angry and couldn't believe that Mr. Altman would be pursuing a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine.”

Tweet by Sam Altman

The situation was further worsened by a tweet from Sam Altman. Johansson noted that Altman even insinuated that the resemblance was intentional by tweeting a single word: “her” — an obvious reference to the movie Here.

The controversy surrounding the voice of OpenAI's new chatbot has caused a stir. The incident highlights the sensitivities surrounding the use of votes and the ethical considerations that companies must make when developing new technologies. Scarlett Johansson's response shows how important it is to carefully manage the rights and ownership of personal attributes, such as voting, in the digital world.

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