Ever since Scarlett Johansson voiced an AI assistant in the sci-fi hit ‘Her’, many tech fans have dreamed of making that technology a reality.
But now it looks like OpenAI may have pursued that dream too literally, as they face accusations of deliberately copying Johansson’s voice for the latest ChatGPT update.
According to Ms. Johansson’s statement, the resemblance is “so eerily similar to mine that my close friends and the media could not tell the difference.”
Following the accusations, OpenAI’s ‘cute’ voice assistant has been paused, but tech fans have been analyzing whether there really is a resemblance.
So do you think ChatGPT’s AI voice sounds like Scarlett Johansson? Let us know in the survey below.
Last week, OpenAI took the world by storm with the launch of ChatGPT-4o, the latest version of its AI chatbot.
The most impressive feature of the new model was an improved voice mode that allowed users to chat with its AI in an extremely natural way.
Upon release, the AI’s warm personality and distinctive voice quickly drew comparisons to the 2013 sci-fi film Her.
In Her, a lonely writer falls in love with his artificial intelligence operating system named Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.
The striking similarity was only reinforced when Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying simply: “she.”
Altman has previously noted that Her is one of his favorite films, so it didn’t take much effort to imagine that he was inspired by the film’s voice assistant.
And on social media, many were quick to point out how similar ‘Sky’s’ new voice sounded to Johansson’s character Samantha.
On X, one commenter wrote: ‘This is literally Scarlett Johansson. As?!’
‘ChatGPT missed the point of the movie “Her” and made an AI voice that sounds like Scarlett Johansson. Pretend I’m shocked,” added another.
Other X commenters also noted that Sky’s voice used a warm, friendly tone similar to that of Samantha’s character, with one commenter writing: “Why is she flirty?”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (pictured) has been accused of deliberately copying Scarlett Johansson’s voice for the latest version of ChatGPT.
On X, formerly Twitter, commenters pointed out what appeared to be a strong similarity between ChatGPT’s new voice and Ms. Johansson.
Others noted a strong resemblance between the new AI voice assistant and the movie Her, in which Scarlett Johansson plays an AI.
Some commenters noted that OpenAI’s chatbot had a “flirty” tone similar to Scarlett Johansson’s character in Her.
However, it turns out that this similarity may not be so accidental, as Johansson now claims that OpenAI has deliberately copied her voice.
In a statement, Johansson wrote that she had received an offer from Sam Altman last September to voice ChatGPT 4.0, but had turned it down.
She writes: “When I heard the published demo, I was shocked, angry, and incredulous that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine.”
Ms Johansson says OpenAI “reluctantly” paused Sky Voice after its legal team sent Mr Altman two letters.
But not everyone is convinced that ChatGPT’s voice was actually copying Scarlett Johansson.
In a statement, Sam Altman said: “Sky’s voice is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and was never intended to sound like hers.
‘We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before contacting Ms. Johansson.
Mr Altman’s arguments have found several supporters, with one commenter writing: “It never occurred to me that the voice of “Sky” on @ChatGPTap bears any resemblance to Scarlett Johansson’s voice.”
Another commenter added that they had been using Sky’s voice and “never made that connection.”
They added: “While they are arguably similar, Scarlett Johansson has more of an accent and has a more American accent.”
Others echoed Altman’s argument that Sky’s voice had been recorded by a different actor using his own voice, with one writing, “But it wasn’t his voice.”
Sam Altman didn’t help matters by tweeting “her” as the new AI chatbot was revealed.
But not everyone agrees that the voices are so similar, and some X commenters wrote that it had “never happened” that they had seemed so similar.
Others pointed out that ChatGPT’s voice was provided by a different actor using his own voice.
One commenter noted that Sky had a more neutral tone, while Johansson has “more wang and a more American accent.”
Regardless of how similar the voices may seem, OpenAI’s actions described in Johansson’s statement have drawn widespread criticism.
On social media, many accused the tech giant of “stealing” the actress’ voice and “trying to get away with it” with a deliberate imitation.
Other commentators have lampooned the AI’s course of action, with one commenter calling it “so dumb you’d think an AI wrote the plot.”
Another joked that the plan was to “ask Scarlett Johansson for permission to copy her voice, ignore her response, copy her voice, release and delete her voice once we get sued.”
In a post on X, OpenAI wrote: “We’ve heard questions about how we choose voices on ChatGPT, especially Sky.”
OpenAI has now paused Sky’s voice in response to the controversy, saying they had “heard questions” about how the voice was chosen.
Some commentators lampooned OpenAI’s course of action outlined in Ms. Johansson’s statement. One wrote that it was “so dumb you’d think an AI wrote the plot.”
OpenAI’s actions have sparked fierce criticism from those who accuse the company of ignoring Scarlett Johansson’s refusal to give the chatbot a voice.
The company added: “We are working to pause Sky usage while we address them.”
Johansson has not yet commented on whether she will take legal action against the company.
However, he previously took action against an artificial intelligence company for using his image.
In November last year, the actress took legal action against an app called Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar that used an AI image of her in an advertisement.
Do you think OpenAI’s chatbot really sounds like Scarlett Johansson or do you think this is a case of the internet’s imagination running wild? Be sure to let us know what you think in the survey.
