OpenAI is removing one of the voices used by ChatGPT. Users found that this company sounds similar to Scarlett Johansson announced the on Monday, and Johansson herself issued a statement saying she had hired legal council to inquire about Sky Voice and obtain accurate details about how it was developed. Sky is now being blocked after OpenAI used it while demoing Its new GPT-4o model Last week.
“We believe that AI voices should not intentionally mimic a celebrity’s distinctive voice – Skye’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson, but a different one using her natural speaking voice,” the company wrote in a statement. Is that of a professional actress.” blog post, “To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents.”
A video of the demo went viral on social media last week as users found the voice similar to Johansson’s. Some people mocked the voice extremely flirtatiousWhile others compared it to a male fantasy,
This bubbly voice has been compared to the 2013 film “Her”, in which Johansson voices an erotic virtual assistant. The film’s lead character, played by Joaquin Phoenix, falls in love with a virtual assistant.
Although the company has not compared Sky’s voice to Johansson’s, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Tweeted The word “his” after the company’s program.
TechCrunch confirmed that Johansson released a statement later Monday saying that OpenAI had contacted her in September to supply voices, which was first reported by NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn. In the statement, she said she declined “after much consideration and for personal reasons” and that she was “shocked” when she heard the released demo.
The statement also said it was “forced to hire legal counsel” and the company “reluctantly agreed” to replace Sky Voice.
OpenAI’s demo last week was intended to showcase the chatbot’s enhanced conversational capabilities, but it went viral after an OpenAI employee giggled at almost everything he said. At one point, the chatbot told the employee: “Wow, that’s exactly the same outfit you’re wearing.” At another point, the chatbot said after receiving praise, “Stop it, you’re embarrassing me”.
In its blog post, OpenAI says it wants the voices of its chatbots to be “approachable” and “inspire trust.” It also wants them to have a “warm, engaging, confidence-inspiring, charismatic voice”.
Moving forward, OpenAI says it plans to “introduce additional voices to ChatGPT to better match users’ diverse interests and preferences.”
Johansson’s full statement:
“Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the existing ChatGPT 4.0 system. He told me he thinks that by having a voice on the system I can bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers feel comfortable with the seismic shifts related to humans and AI. He said that he feels that my voice will give comfort to people.
After much consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the offer. Nine months later, my friends, family, and the general public noticed that the newest system, named “Sky”, looked just like me.
When I heard the demo that was released, I was shocked, angry, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that was so eerily similar to my voice that my close friends and news outlets couldn’t tell the difference. Mr. Altman also hinted that the similarity was intentional, tweeting the single word “her” — a reference to the film in which I voiced Samantha, a chat system who forms an intimate relationship with a human being.
Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent and asked me to reconsider. The system was there before we could connect.
As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAI, explaining what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they acquired “Sky.” Made a sound. As a result, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to remove the “Sky” voice.
At a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the safety of our likenesses, our work, our identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to solutions that lead to transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure the protection of individual rights.
OpenAI shared the following statement from Altman: “Skye’s voice is not that of Scarlett Johansson, and was never intended to resemble her. Before we had any access to Ms. Johansson we included the voice actor behind Skye’s voice. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have discontinued the use of Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we did not communicate better.”
Update: This story was originally published at 8 a.m. PT Monday and has been updated to include statements from Johansson and Altman.
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