OpenAI Pauses Using Scarlett Johansson-like ChatGPT Voice After Star Complains

Montauk resident Scarlett Johansson says she was “shocked” and “angered” after discovering that OpenAI, an artificial intelligence company, used an “eerily similar” voice to hers in a new product release, a statement issued by her representative said.

Johansson says she declined an offer last September to lend her sound to the company’s ChatGPT tool called “Sky,” but its recent release left her “closest friends and news outlets” unable to tell the difference.

The actress, who once starred in the movie Her in which she voices a chat system, is calling for more transparency and appropriate legislation to ensure individuals’ rights are protected in the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded, clarifying that the voice was recorded by a professional actor and intended to resemble Johansson’s, and that the company has paused using it out of respect.