Scarlett Johansson Is Right to Protect Herself From Aggressive Generative AI
It’s hard to think of a contemporary issue more polarizing than the use—or, depending on your perspective, misuse—of generative AI in creative work, and that’s exactly what actor Scarlett Johansson took a stand against this week, when she released a statement accusing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of creating a voice for the ChatGPT system that sounded “eerily similar” to Johansson’s own. (As if that weren’t disturbing enough, this allegedly occurred after Johansson declined to voice the chatbot herself.)
“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 told NPR. “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.”
OpenAI suspended its use of the Johansson-esque voice it called “Sky” prior to Johansson’s statement. The company claimed in a blog post on Sunday that “Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.” Still, Johansson’s public displeasure isn’t exactly good PR for the company, and neither is the legal battle she appears to be preparing for. One of the most jarring parts of her statement notes that Altman twice approached her to be the original voice of the chatbot. She said no both times, but evidently, that wasn’t enough to deter him.
Unfortunately, not every celebrity shares Johansson’s commitment to fighting AI overreach; actor Natasha Lyonne and director Angel Manuel Soto were recently announced to be advising a filmmaker-launched “AI film and animation studio” that uses generative AI to fuel its creative projects. (This was somewhat galling to fans who noted that Lyonne had shown her support during last year’s SAG and WGA strikes, both of which were inspired in part by growing concerns about the potential of AI to replace union actors and writers.) As for Altman and other big-tech CEOs, hopefully they’ll learn from Johansson’s statement what they should already know: when someone (especially a woman) says “no,” you should probably listen the first time.
