Scarlett Johansson said Monday she was “shocked” and “angered” after the new ChatGPT voice created by OpenAI used a voice that is “eerily similar” to hers.
Johansson blasted the tech company and revealed that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman approached her last year about hiring her to voice the new AI voice assistant, according to NPR. She ultimately rejected the offer “after much consideration and for personal reasons.”
Altman reached out to Johansson’s agent two days before the voice assistant demo was released in a bid to see if she would change her mind, she said. But before the two could connect, the voice “Sky” was released.
“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,” she said in the statement obtained by the outlet.
OpenAI said on Sunday it paused the use of the “Sky” voice amid questions about how it chose to use that voice. The company claimed it used the voice of another actress, but did not reveal her name to protect her privacy.
Johansson said in Monday’s statement her legal team has reached out to Altman to determine how the “Sky” voice was selected.
