Scarlett Johansson accuses OpenAI of copying her voice for ChatGPT

Scarlett Johansson has accused OpenAI of using a voice similar to hers for one of its ChatGPT voice assistants without her permission. Johansson made this statement on Monday, hours after OpenAI announced it would stop using the voice, without explaining why.

Johansson explained, “Last September, Sam Altman from OpenAI offered me a role to voice the ChatGPT 4.0 system. He believed my voice could help bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives, making AI more relatable to consumers. Despite this, I declined the offer for personal reasons.”

However, when OpenAI demonstrated their latest model, GPT-4o, many people noticed how much the voice, named ‘Sky,’ resembled Johansson’s. “I was shocked and angry that Mr. Altman would use a voice so similar to mine that even my friends couldn’t tell the difference,” Johansson said. She also mentioned that Altman contacted her agent two days before the reveal, asking her to reconsider, but released the system before she could respond.

An OpenAI spokesperson responded, “Sky’s voice is not Scarlett Johansson’s and was never intended to mimic hers. We hired the voice actor for Sky before contacting Ms. Johansson. Out of respect, we have paused using Sky’s voice and apologize for the miscommunication.”

OpenAI’s new model, GPT-4o, aims to create more natural human-computer interactions.

This new development led to comparisons with Samantha, the AI assistant voiced by Johansson in the 2013 movie “Her.” Altman even tweeted “her” after the demo, referencing the film.

Following Johansson’s accusation, OpenAI detailed its process of hiring professional voice actors and denied any intentional similarity to Johansson’s voice.

They stated, “AI voices should not mimic a celebrity’s distinctive voice. Sky’s voice comes from a different actress using her natural voice,” adding that their voice actors are paid top rates.

Johansson said she sought legal counsel and sent letters to Altman and OpenAI seeking an explanation.

“In an era of deepfakes and concerns over protecting our likeness, work, and identities, these issues require absolute clarity,” Johansson wrote.

“I look forward to resolution through transparency and appropriate legislation to protect individual rights.”