An update to ChatGPT has once again provoked reflections and heated discussions about ethical issues involving generative artificial intelligence. This time around actress Scarlett Johansson and one of five models of OpenAI's talking robots. According to the star, the model called Sky imitated his voice and the way he spoke.
The version has been available since September 2023, but debates gained momentum with the launch on May 13, from ChatGPT-4o, the new version of the bot, which makes robotic voices more natural and with more cadence, more similar to those of a human. The actress disclosed that she made a formal complaint to OpenAI, which announced the discontinuation of use of Sky.
What could be another success story for a company that has stood out against big tech in the generative AI segment, turned into a headache. After launch, many users who tested GPT-4o noticed a great similarity between Sky's voice and Scarlett's. The perception was heightened after social media was flooded with publications referring to the actress' role in the film. She (Her, Spike Jonze/2013), in which he voices Samantha, a digital voice assistant with whom the main character falls in love.
Through a note from her advisor, the actress said she was shocked by the adoption of the voice that imitated her mannerisms. She also reported that the OpenAI staff had contacted her, months before the launch, asking for licensing for the use of her voice in the application. However, she denied it due to personal reasons. According to Scarlett, the company would have made a new attempt two days before launching the update.
After days of controversy on social media, the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman also hinted that the similarity in Sky and Scarlett's voices was intentional, when responding to a post on X (formerly Twitter) citing the name of the film with the actress.
When announcing the interruption, however, OpenAI defended itself by stating that the voice is not an imitation of Scarlett but, rather, natural and belonging to a professional actress. The company did not reveal the name of the voice's owner to protect her privacy.
