After Scarlett Johansson Accuses ChatGPT Of Using AI Voice 'Eerily Similar To Hers', Sam Altman Pulls It Down

She might have played an AI-powered assistant in the movie ¡®Her¡¯ but that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that Scarlett Johansson will be open to do it in real life as well! Despite her refusal, Sam Altman didn¡¯t budge and used a voice similar to hers which miffed the Tony Award winning actress.

What Started The Battle Between Johansson And Sam Altman?

OpenAI introduced five unique voice avatars¡ªBreeze, Cove, Ember, Juniper, and Sky¡ªon May 19, each representing different headline voice capabilities in ChatGPT. These voices, derived from collaborations with voice actors, were designed to offer diverse options. Notably, some users found that the Sky avatar resembled Johansson's voice.

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According to several reports, the Black Widow actress said that she got an offer from the OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in September to become the voice of ChatGPT 4.o.

¡°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 AI. He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people,¡± she said in her statement as per Deadline.

However, Scarlet wasn¡¯t keen to take up the offer ¡°after much consideration and for personal reasons.¡±

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Nine months later, she got a rude shock when the demo voice sounded ¡®eerily¡¯ similar to her.

¡°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,¡± she said.

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She was ¡®forced to hire legal counsel¡¯ to get the AI voice removed from OpenAI¡¯s chatbot.

In his clarification, Sam Altman said that the Sky voice ¡°is not Scarlett Johansson¡¯s, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn¡¯t communicate better."

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What Is The Status Of Scarlett Johansson¡¯s AI Voice?

OpenAI has taken down the voice of Sky and replaced it with a new voice called Juniper.

The company said, ¡°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.¡±