OpenAI is halting its use of its 'Sky' voice in its ChatGPT chatbot after actress Scarlett Johansson said it was "eerily similar" to hers.
She said she had previously rejected a request for her voice to be used.
Johansson issued a lengthy statement on Monday saying that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had approached her in September asking her if she would lend her voice to the system.
She said she declined the offer "after much consideration and for personal reasons."
"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," Johansson said.
"Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word, 'her' - a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human."
She said OpenAI "reluctantly" agreed to take down the 'Sky' voice after she hired lawyers to pursue possible legal action, the Associated Press reported.
In a post on X, OpenAI said it had "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."
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.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) May 20, 2024
Read more about how we chose these voices: https://t.co/R8wwZjU36L
The company said it worked with directors and producers to create the criteria for the voices it uses including finding "a voice that feels timeless" and "an approachable voice that inspires trust."
Altman claims the Sky voice was chosen before Johansson was asked to authorize her own voice.
Johansson said, "In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected."
