CONDO:
OpenAI is officially pulling “Sky,” one of its primary ChatGPT voices, following intense public backlash and a formal confrontation from actress Scarlett Johansson. The controversy erupted after users noted the AI’s uncanny resemblance to Johansson, prompting the actress to hire legal counsel to investigate how the voice was developed.
The Controversy Behind “Sky”
The conflict began last week when OpenAI debuted its new GPT-4o model. The “Sky” voice, featured prominently in the demo, quickly went viral on social media. Many users criticized the tone as being overly flirtatious or leaning into “male fantasy” tropes, drawing direct comparisons to Johansson’s role as an intimate virtual assistant in the 2013 film Her.
Say hello to GPT-4o, our new flagship model which can reason across audio, vision, and text in real time: https://t.co/MYHZB79UqN
Text and image input rolling out today in API and ChatGPT with voice and video in the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/uuthKZyzYx
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) May 13, 2024
Adding fuel to the fire, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted a single word—”her”—immediately following the company’s event, which many interpreted as a direct nod to the film and the vocal similarity.
her
— Sam Altman (@sama) May 13, 2024
Johansson’s Legal Stance
In a detailed statement, Johansson revealed that Sam Altman had approached her in September 2023, asking her to voice the ChatGPT 4.0 system. Altman suggested that her involvement could help bridge the gap between technology and creatives. After “much consideration,” Johansson declined the offer for personal reasons.
The actress expressed shock upon hearing the demo nine months later, stating that her own family and friends could not distinguish the AI from her voice. She noted that just two days before the demo launch, Altman contacted her agent again, urging her to reconsider. Before they could speak, the system was released to the public.
Following her legal team’s intervention, OpenAI “reluctantly agreed” to remove the voice. Johansson emphasized the broader implications of the incident: “In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity.”
OpenAI’s Defense
In an official blog post, OpenAI denied that Sky was intended to mimic the actress. The company stated: “Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.”
CEO Sam Altman issued a separate statement addressing the apology, noting: “The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”
The Future of ChatGPT Voices
OpenAI maintains that its goal is to create voices that sound “approachable” and “charismatic” to inspire user trust. Despite the current friction, the company confirmed it plans to introduce additional voice options in ChatGPT to better cater to the diverse preferences of its global user base.