Actresses Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum are speaking out against the lack of safeguards surrounding artificial intelligence (AI).
The two movie stars, promoting their new film “Fly Me to the Moon,” voiced support for Washington taking action against emerging technologies that have raised concerns in Hollywood, such as actors’ images being exploited and screenplays being written with software programs.
“Obviously, we’re all looking forward to and support the passage of legislation to protect individual rights,” Johansson said in an interview. Associated Press.
The “Avengers” star said his own dispute with OpenAI shows “how vulnerable everyone is to it,” noting that legislation to address the issue is still waiting to be enacted.
OpenAI released a voice-based AI assistant last month, which Johansson said sounds “eerily similar” to his own voice.
She also said it showed “how little protection, if any, people have over their own work and likeness.”
Tatum also said in the interview that jobs outside of the film industry could be affected by AI.
“Well, I’m curious which one will be addressed first – will it be more like our industry or more like the normal world,” he said.
“People are going to start losing their jobs, and not just in the film industry. So many people are going to lose their jobs because of AI, which can do so many things. And I can’t believe that’s not bigger news than it is now,” he added.
Johansson said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman contacted her last month about providing her voice for the company’s AI assistant but declined. At the time, she said she had hired a lawyer to ask OpenAI to remove the voice, and that the company “reluctantly” agreed.
“At a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and protecting our own likeness, our own work, and our own identities, I believe these issues should be fully clarified,” she said at the time. “I hope to see a resolution in the form of transparency and the passing of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected.”
SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents thousands of actors and other media professionals, also supported Johansson at the time.
The union signed an agreement with the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance last year to establish guidelines for the use of AI, including allowing members to give consent and receive compensation for generative AI used to replicate their likeness.
