Despite her refusal, OpenAI released the Sky voice before pausing its use and issuing a statement about ethical implications.
OpenAI approached Johansson in September 2023 to voice their ChatGPT system, which she declined.
Scarlett Johansson discovered OpenAI's ChatGPT included a voice named 'Sky' that sounded like her voice.
Last week, OpenAI introduced its latest version of ChatGPT, which included a new voice option named 'Sky'. However, Scarlett Johansson, who provided the voice for an AI system in Spike Jonze's movie 'Her', was shocked and angered when she discovered that the Sky voice sounded eerily similar to hers. Despite her refusal to license her voice for OpenAI's virtual assistant and the company's awareness of her disapproval, they went ahead and used a voice that closely resembled hers.
According to reports, Johansson was first approached by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in September 2023 with an offer to voice their ChatGPT system. She declined the offer but was contacted again just two days before the product launch. Despite her previous refusal, OpenAI released a voice that sounded very similar to Johansson's.
Johansson's legal team sent letters to OpenAI demanding an explanation of how they developed the Sky voice and asking them to stop using it. In response, OpenAI paused the use of the Sky voice and issued a statement saying that they believe AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice.
This incident highlights the importance of respecting intellectual property rights and obtaining proper consent before using someone's likeness or voice for commercial purposes. It also raises questions about the ethical implications of creating AI voices that closely resemble real people without their permission.
Last week, OpenAI released a chatbot with a voice option that sounded like Scarlett Johansson but she refused two requests from OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman to license her voice for a virtual assistant.
OpenAI used a voice named ‘Sky’ that Scarlett Johansson claimed sounded ‘eerily similar’ to hers and she has hired a lawyer and asked OpenAI to stop using the voice named ‘Sky’.
Scarlett Johansson provided the voice for an AI system in Spike Jonze’s movie ‘Her’, but OpenAI did not use this fact or her permission when creating their virtual assistant.
Accuracy
Last week, OpenAI released a chatbot with a voice option that sounded like Scarlett Johansson.
OpenAI used a voice named ‘Sky’ that Scarlett Johansson claimed sounded ‘eerily similar’ to hers.
One of the voices immediately sparked comparisons to the movie ‘Her,’ in which a man falls in love with an AI chatbot voiced by Johansson.
Deception
(80%)
The article reports on Scarlett Johansson's statement that OpenAI's chatbot voice sounds 'eerily similar to mine', despite her refusals for them to use her voice. The author then goes on to report OpenAI's response stating that the voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different actress. This selective reporting only presents information that supports the author's initial statement, creating a deceptive narrative.
The actress Scarlett Johansson said in a statement on Monday that an OpenAI chatbot's voice sounded 'eerily similar to mine''
Despite those refusals, Ms. Johansson said, OpenAI used a voice that sounded 'eerily similar to mine.'
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority and a potential straw man fallacy. The author mentions that OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, called Scarlett Johansson for voice licensing which is then used as evidence by the author to imply that OpenAI deliberately tried to mimic her voice. This could be seen as a straw man fallacy since it presents an exaggerated version of Johansson's refusals and OpenAI's intentions. Additionally, the author quotes OpenAI's statement which attempts to justify their actions by claiming that 'Sky's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.' This can be seen as an appeal to authority since it relies on the credibility of OpenAI as a source.
. . . despite those refusals, Ms. Johansson said, OpenAI used a voice that sounded “eerily similar to mine.”
OpenAI suspended its release of “Sky” over the weekend. The company said in a blog post on Sunday that “AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity’s distinctive voice — Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.”
Actor Scarlett Johansson turned down OpenAI’s request to lend her voice for a conversational ChatGPT system.
OpenAI used a voice that sounded very similar to Johansson’s despite her refusal and the company’s awareness of her disapproval.
Johansson called for legislation that would protect individuals from having their name, image or likeness misappropriated.
Accuracy
Scarlett Johansson has hired a lawyer and asked OpenAI to stop using the ‘Sky’ voice.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains an appeal to authority and a false dichotomy. Todd Spangler reports that OpenAI claimed the Sky voice was not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belonged to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice. This is an attempt to deflect blame and present OpenAI in a more favorable light by claiming the voice was not intentionally similar to Johansson's. Additionally, Spangler presents a false dichotomy by stating that either Johansson or OpenAI is at fault, when it's possible that the similarity was unintentional or resulted from coincidence. No other fallacies were found.
OpenAI claimed the Sky voice was not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belonged to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.
Scarlett Johansson was approached by OpenAI to voice their ChatGPT 4.0 system in September 2022.
OpenAI used a voice named ‘Sky’ that Scarlett Johansson claimed sounded ‘eerily similar’ to hers without her consent.
Johansson discovered the similarity between her voice and Sky’s and was shocked, angered, and hired legal counsel.
Accuracy
OpenAI released a new version of ChatGPT named ‘Sky’ with a voice similar to Johansson’s in April 2023.
Scarlett Johansson discovered the similarity between her voice and Sky’s and was shocked, angered, and hired legal counsel.
OpenAI contacted Johansson before releasing Sky’s voice asking her to reconsider but released it before they could connect.
OpenAI apologized for not communicating better with Johansson after she spoke out about the similarity between her voice and Sky’s.
Deception
(10%)
The article reports on Scarlett Johansson's reaction to OpenAI using a voice similar to hers for their new ChatGPT system. While the author does not make any editorializing or pontificating statements, they do report on Johansson's opinions and emotions regarding the situation. However, there are some instances of selective reporting as the article only reports details that support Johansson's position and fails to mention OpenAI's explanation that they cast the voice actor before reaching out to Johansson. Additionally, there is a lack of transparency regarding the identity of the actress who voices 'Sky', which could fuel further speculation and confusion.
OpenAI did not release the name of the actress voicing Sky nor the other actors for the other voices of the system to protect their privacy.
Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent, asking me to reconsider.
When I heard the released demo, I 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
Fallacies
(95%)
No egregious fallacies found. However, there is an appeal to authority and a slight exaggeration in describing the voice as 'eerily similar' which suggests a dichotomous depiction. The rest of the article reports on the situation without committing any logical errors.
Scarlett Johansson attends the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s 2023 Albie Awards at New York Public Library on Sept. 28, 2023 in New York City.
OpenAI announced its latest ChatGPT last week, which featured an AI voice compared to Scarlett Johansson’s voice from the 2013 sci-fi film ‘Her.’
'Sky.' voice that Scarlett Johansson claimed sounded 'eerily similar' to hers.
Scarlett Johansson has hired a lawyer and asked OpenAI to stop using the ‘Sky’ voice named.
OpenAI used a voice that sounded very similar to Johansson’s despite her refusal and the company’s awareness of her disapproval.
Accuracy
Scarlett Johansson refused two requests from OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman to license her voice for a virtual assistant.
OpenAI used a voice named ‘Sky’ that Scarlett Johansson claimed sounded ‘eerily similar’ to hers.
Johansson alleges that Altman had approached her nine months prior, proposing to license her voice for the new ChatGPT, which she declined. He reached out again just two days before the product launch, prompting Johansson to feel betrayed when the product was released with a similar-sounding voice.
OpenAI has since paused using the ‘Sky’ voice in its products and apologized to Johansson for not communicating better.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the author's position. The author does not disclose that OpenAI has stated they did not use Johansson's voice for their AI and that they used the voice of another actress. The author also uses emotional manipulation by describing Johansson as 'shocked, angered, and in disbelief', implying that she was wronged by OpenAI. The article also contains sensationalism with phrases like 'personal affront' and 'questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT'.
Johansson said that nine months ago Altman approached her proposing that she allow her voice to be licensed for the new ChatGPT voice assistant. He thought it would be ‘comforting to people’ who are uneasy with AI technology.
But before she and Altman could connect, the company publicly announced its new, splashy product, complete with a voice that she says appears to have copied her likeness.
The AI voice it used in its demo was quickly compared to Johansson’s voice in the 2013 Spike Jonze romantic sci-fi film ‘Her’, which centers on a man who falls in love with the female voice of his computer’s operating system.
Fallacies
(85%)
The author makes an appeal to authority when mentioning that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's favorite movie is 'Her' and inviting comparisons by posting the word 'Her' on X after the company announced the new ChatGPT version. However, this does not necessarily mean that OpenAI intentionally copied Scarlett Johansson's voice for their AI. The author also mentions that lawyers for Scarlett Johansson are demanding details about how OpenAI developed the voice and that she feels betrayed, which could be seen as an attempt to inflame public opinion against OpenAI. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of the new ChatGPT voice being described as 'coquettish' and 'flirtatious' in one instance, while in another instance it is described as 'matter of fact'. This inconsistency could be seen as an attempt to manipulate public perception.
][OpenAI CEO Sam Altman] invited comparisons by posting the word ‘Her’ on X after the company announced the new ChatGPT version.[/
Lawyers for Scarlett Johansson are demanding that OpenAI disclose how it developed an AI personal assistant voice that the actress says sounds uncannily similar to her own.
The new ChatGPT was described as 'coquettish' and 'flirtatious' during a live-demo, leading some to wonder whether the coquettish demeanor was an intentional ploy to keep people engaged with the AI system.
Scarlett Johansson stated she was 'shocked' and 'angered' after OpenAI released a voice for its new GPT-4o model that sounded 'eerily similar' to her own, despite her declining Sam Altman's offer to voice the chatbot.
OpenAI used a voice that sounded very similar to Johansson's despite her refusal and the company's awareness of her disapproval.
Johansson alleges that Altman had approached her nine months prior, proposing to license her voice for the new ChatGPT, which she declined. He reached out again just two days before the product launch, prompting Johansson to feel betrayed when the product was released with a similar-sounding voice.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains a few informal fallacies and an appeal to authority. It presents exaggerated claims about the similarity between Scarlett Johansson's voice and the AI voice ('eerily similar', 'immediately sparked comparisons to the movie “Her”'), which is an exaggeration fallacy. The author also reports that OpenAI claimed their AI voice was not an imitation of Johansson's but later paused the voice, which could be seen as a contradiction fallacy. Additionally, there is an appeal to authority when the author cites Sam Altman's tweet and statements. However, no formal logical fallacies are present in the article.
. . . OpenAI released a voice for its new GPT-4o model that sounded "eerily similar" to her own . . .
