Scarlett Johansson expects explanations from OpenAI, the company that created the female voice called “Sky”. The actress claims that it is very similar to her voice. In a published statement, she emphasized that the head of OpenAI, Sam Altman, offered her a voice for ChatGPT in September 2023, but she rejected his offer.
Scarlett Johansson reacted to the latest ChatGPT vote
“Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public noticed how much the newest system called ‘Sky’ sounded like me,” said Scarlett Johansson. “When I heard the demo released, I was shocked, angry and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would use a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets couldn’t tell the difference,” she added.
The actress explained that Sam Altman contacted her agent two days before the release of the ChatGPT 4.0 demo. The head of OpenAI allegedly asked Johansson to reconsider his earlier offer. But before he got an answer, the new system was already available.
“As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire a legal advisor who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAI,” Johansson said. In those letters, he demands that the company explain how exactly it developed the “Sky” voice. “As a result, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to remove the ‘Sky’ voice,” she added.
“At a time when we are all struggling with counterfeits, protecting our identity, our work, I believe that these are issues that require absolute clarity. I am looking forward to resolving the matter and adopting appropriate legislation that will help ensure the protection of individual rights,” she wrote Scarlett Johansson.
OpenAI translates from the voice of “Sky”. “He was not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman assured that the voice of “Sky” was created with the help of “another professional actress” and was not an imitation of Johansson. “The voice of ‘Sky’ does not belong to Scarlett Johansson and was never intended to resemble her voice. Before we contacted Ms. Johansson, we had cast the voice actor responsible for the voice of ‘Sky’,” he explained.
The company also posted explanations on its OpenAI blog. “We believe that artificial intelligence voices should not intentionally imitate the distinctive voices of celebrities. ‘Sky’ is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson’s voice, but belongs to another professional actress who speaks in her natural voice. To protect their privacy, we cannot reveal the names of the people who lend us their voice talents” – .
Source: Gazeta

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