The North Star actress said in a statement , May 20 that she “received an offer from [OpenAI CEO] Sam Altman” to use her voice for its current ChatGPT 4.0 system in September 2023.
Altman explained to her why he thought she’d be the perfect fit, she added.
However, she ultimately decided to turn down the offer due to “personal reasons.””Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named ‘Sky’ sounded like me,” Johansson, 39, said.
Upon hearing the demo herself, Johansson said she 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.”
She added that Altman “insinuated” the “similarity was intentional” when he wrote the word “her” via X (formerly Twitter), a message Johansson says was “a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.”
In the Spike Jonze movie Her, which Johansson claims Altman is referring to, she voiced a virtual assistant with which Joaquin Phoenix’s character develops a relationship.
She noted that two days before ChatGPT 4.0 demo was unveiled, Altman reached out to her agent and asked if she would “reconsider” her decision.
“Before we could connect, the system was out there.”
Johansson said she was “forced to hire legal action” which issued Altman with two letters, asking them to explain in detail how they created Sky’s voice.
She concluded, “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.”
The company acknowledged concerns about Sky’s voice on X Monday, stating it would “pause the use of Sky while we address them.”
In a blog post shared on its website, OpenAI explained how the voices were selected for the system.