According to information obtained by The Washington Post, OpenAI has hired a completely different actor for ChatGPT’s voice, “Sky,” and has never requested that the voice be similar to Scarlett Johansson’s. However, Johansson recently claimed that the company was using her voice without permission.
ChatGPT developer OpenAI has been in the spotlight recently due to world-famous actress Scarlett Johansson. The “Sky” voice used by the company in ChatGPT’s voice mode sounded very similar to Johansson’s. Sam Altman even tweeted during last week’s GPT-4 demo, referencing the movie “Her,” in which Johansson voiced an artificial intelligence character. This post fueled speculation that Sky could indeed be the voice of the famous actress. The film explores a human’s relationship with a voice-based virtual assistant.
Then came a bombshell statement directly from Scarlett Johansson. The 39-year-old actress stated that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had contacted her months ago for the voiceover, but she turned down the offer. She went on to say that her voice might have been used despite her refusal. As the debate continues, The Washington Post has provided new information on the matter.
The actress who voiced Sky was agreed months before Johansson
According to information obtained by The Washington Post from OpenAI, the artificial intelligence giant hired a completely different actor for the voice of Sky. When selecting the actor, the company sought someone between 25-45 years old with a charismatic, personable voice. They did not request any resemblance to Scarlett Johansson’s voice. In other words, the company emphasizes that it did not intend to imitate the famous actress.
Additionally, the actor’s agent, who was signed for Sky, spoke to The New York Post. The manager, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that neither “Her” nor “Scarlett Johansson” was mentioned during the deal. Documents and records also indicate that OpenAI had hired this person months before Sam Altman reached out to Johansson. The Washington Post added that it listened to the unnamed actress’s voice and confirmed it was identical to Sky.
OpenAI published a blog post last Sunday in response to growing claims about Sky. In this post, which was made before Johansson’s statement, it was emphasized that there was no intention to liken Sky to the famous actress. It was also mentioned that Sky was removed from ChatGPT for the time being due to the controversy.
We don’t know if OpenAI actually used Scarlett Johansson’s voice for Sky without permission. As similar as the voice sounds, especially in GPT-4’s new voice mode, documents and sources obtained by The Washington Post suggest this did not happen. We will have to wait and see what unfolds between the two parties. It should be noted that there have been no further statements from either OpenAI or Johansson.
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