Do you think it sounds like Scarlett Johansson? The voice of ChatGPT’s ‘flirty’ AI bot is revealed – so do you think it sounds like the Hollywood A-lister?
Ever since Scarlett Johansson voiced an AI assistant in the sci-fi blockbuster ‘Her’, many tech fans have dreamed of making that technology a reality.
But it now appears that OpenAI may have pursued that dream too literally, as they are accused of deliberately copying Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT’s latest update.
According to Ms. Johansson’s statement, the resemblance is “so uncannily similar to mine that close friends and news media could not tell the difference.”
Following the allegations, OpenAI’s ‘flirty’ voice assistant has now been paused, but tech fans have wondered if there really is a similarity.
Do you think ChatGPT’s AI voice sounds like Scarlett Johansson? Let us know in the poll below.
Last week, OpenAI stunned the world with the release of ChatGPT-4o, the latest version of its AI chatbot.
The most impressive feature of the new model was an improved voice mode that allowed users to chat with their AI in an extremely natural way.
Upon release, the AI’s warm personality and distinctive voice were quickly compared to the 2013 science fiction film Her.
In Her, a lonely writer falls in love with his AI operating system named Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.
The striking resemblance was only amplified when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, saying simply, “her.”
Mr. Altman has previously noted that Her is one of his favorite films, so it wasn’t long before he could imagine taking some inspiration from the film’s voice assistant.
And on social media, many were quick to point out how similar the new “Sky” voice sounded to Ms. Johansson’s character Samantha.
On X, a commenter wrote, “This is literally Scarlett Johansson. How?!’
‘ChatGPT missed the point of the movie “Her” and made an AI voice that sounds like Scarlett Johansson. Pretend I’m shocked,” another added.
Other commenters on
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman (pictured) is accused of deliberately copying Scarlett Johansson’s voice for the latest version of ChatGPT
On X, formerly Twitter, commenters pointed out what appeared to be a strong similarity between ChatGPT’s new voice and Ms. Johansson
Others noted a strong similarity between the new AI voice assistant and the movie Her in which Scarlett Johansson plays an AI.
A few commenters noted that OpenAI’s chatbot had a similar “flirty” tone to Scarlett Johansson’s character in Her
However, it turns out that this similarity may not be so coincidental, as Ms. Johansson now claims that OpenAI deliberately copied her voice.
In a statement, Ms. Johansson wrote that she had received an offer from Sam Altman to voice ChatGPT 4.0 last September, but had declined.
She writes, “When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angry, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so uncannily similar to mine.”
Ms Johansson says OpenAI cut Sky’s vote ‘reluctantly’ after her legal team sent Mr Altman two letters.
But not everyone is convinced that ChatGPT’s voice really copied Scarlett Johansson.
In a statement, Sam Altman said: “Sky’s voice is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to sound like hers.
“We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before reaching Ms. Johansson.
Mr Altman’s arguments have found several supporters, with one commenter writing: ‘It never occurred to me that the ‘Sky’ voice in @ChatGPTap bears any resemblance to Scarlett Johansson’s voice.’
Another commenter added that they had used the Sky voice and ‘never made that connection’.
They added, “Although you can say they look alike, Scarlett Johansson has more of an accent and more of an American accent.”
Others echoed Mr Altman’s argument that Sky’s voice was recorded by another actor using their own speaking voice, with one writing: “But it wasn’t her voice.”
Sam Altman didn’t help matters by tweeting “her” when the new AI chatbot was unveiled
But not everyone agrees that the voices are so similar, with some commenters on
Others pointed out that ChatGPT’s voice was provided by a different actor using their own voice
One commenter pointed out that Sky had a more neutral tone, while Ms Johansson has “more cheek and more of an American accent.”
As similar as the voices may sound, OpenAI’s actions described in Johansson’s statement have drawn widespread criticism.
On social media, many accused the tech giant of “stealing” the actress’ voice and “trying to get away” with deliberate impersonation.
Other commentators have lambasted AI’s actions, with one commenter calling it ‘so stupid you’d think an AI wrote the plot’.
Another joked that the plan was to “ask Scarlett Johansson’s permission to copy her voice, ignore her response, copy her voice, launch and delete her voice as soon as we get sued.”
In a post on
OpenAI has now paused the Sky voice in response to the controversy, saying they had ‘heard questions’ about how the voice was chosen
Some commentators denounced OpenAI’s actions, as described in Ms Johansson’s statement. One wrote that it was ‘so stupid you’d think an AI wrote the plot’
OpenAI’s actions have drawn fierce criticism from those who accuse the company of ignoring Scarlett Johansson’s refusal to give voice to the chatbot.
The company added: ‘We are working to pause use of Sky while we address them.’
Ms Johansson has not yet responded to whether she will take legal action against the company.
However, she has previously taken action against an AI company for using her likeness.
In November last year, the actress took legal action against an app called Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar, which used an AI image of her in an advertisement.
Do you think OpenAI’s chatbot really sounds like Scarlett Johansson or do you think this is an example of the internet fantasy run amok? Be sure to let us know what you think in the poll.