Scarlett Johansson has spoken out against OpenAI and deepfake technology, saying she is “very uncomfortable” and “very angry” that the company appears to have imitated her voice in its ChatGPT system Sky.
Earlier this year, she made waves when she issued a public statement saying that for “personal reasons,” she declined OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s request to voice Skye for her role in Spike Jonze’s film “Her” in September 2023. When the company released Skye in May, Altman tweeted: “she”.
After Johansson’s public statement, her lawyer contacted OpenAI to ask them to remove Sky’s voice, which OpenAI did, but claimed that “Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson, but is instead a professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.”
Altman later said that the actor providing the voice of Skye had been hired prior to tapping Johansson as the additional sixth voice, but that he had apologized to Johansson and suspended voicing Sky out of “respect” for her.
Speaking to the New York TimesJohansson said, “I’m actively [AI] “The conversation stopped and I became very anxious. I thought, ‘How did I get caught up in this?’ It was insane. I was very angry.”
“I didn’t want to be the one to lead the charge,” she added. “I felt it went against my core values. I don’t like kiss-and-tell. He told me about it, but I didn’t tell anybody except my husband… Also, I thought it would be weird for my kids. I try to look out for them.”
Johansson went on to describe deepfake technology as a “dark wormhole that you can never escape from.”
“When you try to remove something in one place, it pops up in another. Some countries have different laws and rules. If your ex-partner is posting deepfake porn out of revenge, it could completely ruin your life,” she said.
“Technology is evolving faster than our fragile egos can process, and I think the effects are being felt everywhere, especially among young people. This technology is coming at us like a 1,000-foot wave.”
When asked if Altman would be a good choice for a Marvel villain, she replied, “I think he would be good, as long as he had a robotic arm.”
Johansson’s public battle with Open AI comes three years after she was locked in a legal battle with Disney over the release of the Marvel movie “Black Widow,” which was released in theaters and on the streaming service Disney+ during the pandemic. Johansson argued that her contract included a provision that “Black Widow” be released only in theaters, that her fee was based on the film’s box office performance and that Disney’s hybrid release would affect her compensation.
Disney’s initial response was unexpectedly aggressive, taking the unusual step of disclosing Johansson’s $20 million advance. Johansson responded by calling the studio “misogynistic.”.
The two sides eventually settled for a publicly disclosed amount, Deadline reported Disney will pay Johansson more than $40 million (£29.7 million, A$59.5 million).
Johansson told The New York Times about the spat: “I don’t hold any grudges. [against Disney]… I think it was just poor judgment and poor leadership at the time. To me, this whole thing felt very unprofessional. And honestly, I was very disappointed, especially because I was holding out hope until my team finally said, ‘We have to act.'”
