OpenAI removes one of the voices used in ChatGPT. The company announced on Monday that users said it resembled Scarlett Johansson, and that Johansson herself had hired a legal commission to investigate Sky's voice and obtain exact details on how it was developed. issued a statement. Sky is currently suspended after OpenAI used it last week to demo its new GPT-4o model.
“We believe that AI voices should not intentionally imitate a famous person's distinctive voice. Skye's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson, but rather another professional actress's voice, based on her own natural speaking voice. used and copied,” the company said in a blog post. “To protect their privacy, we cannot publish the names of voice actors.”
Last week, a video of the demo went viral on social media after users felt the voice sounded similar to Johansson's. Some people ridiculed her voice as being too frivolous, while others likened it to a man's fantasy.
This flirtatious voice has been compared to the 2013 film “Her,” in which Johansson played the voice of a sultry virtual assistant. The main character of the film, played by Joaquin Phoenix, ends up falling in love with a virtual assistant.
The company hasn't compared Skye's voice to Johansson's, but OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted the word “she” after the company's event.
TechCrunch confirmed that Johansson released a statement late Monday saying that OpenAI approached her about providing audio in September, which was first reported by NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn. It is something that In her statement, she said she had declined “after much consideration and for personal reasons” and that she was “shocked” to hear of the public demonstration.
The statement also said she was “forced to hire a lawyer” and that the company “reluctantly agreed” to change her Sky voice.
OpenAI's demo last week was meant to showcase the chatbot's enhanced conversational capabilities, but a sex appeal-tinged voice chuckled at nearly everything an OpenAI employee said, and the voice was heard online. It spread to At one point, the chatbot said to the employee: “Wow, that's a really nice outfit.” At another point, the chatbot said, “Stop it, you're making me blush,” after receiving a compliment.
OpenAI said in a blog post that it wants chatbot voices to sound “friendly” and “inspire trust.” They also want a “warm, inviting, confident and charismatic voice.”
Going forward, OpenAI says it plans to “introduce additional voices to ChatGPT to better suit users' diverse interests and preferences.”
Johansson's full statement:
“Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman to hire me to be the voice of the current ChatGPT 4.0 system. He said he felt that by speaking out about the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creators, and help consumers feel at ease about the seismic shifts regarding humans and AI. He said that my voice would comfort people.
After careful consideration, I have declined the offer for personal reasons. Nine months later, my friends, family, and the general public have all taken note of how much my newest system, named “Sky,” looks like me.
When I heard the public demo, I was shocked, angry, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice so eerily similar to mine that close friends and the press couldn't tell it apart. Altman hinted that the resemblance was intentional, tweeting the word “she,” a nod to the movie in which she played the voice of Samantha, a chat system in which humans form intimate relationships. It was something.
Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent and asked us to reconsider. The system existed before you could connect.
As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire an attorney, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAI explaining their conduct and asking for details of the exact process by which they created the voice for “Sky.” As a result, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to remove the voice for “Sky.”
“As we all grapple with deepfakes and the protection of our likeness, our work, and our identities, I believe these are issues that deserve full clarity. I look forward to solutions in the form of transparency and appropriate legislation being passed to ensure individual rights are protected.”
OpenAI shared the following statement from Altman. “Skye's voice is not Scarlett Johansson's voice, and we never intended it to sound like her. We cast the voice actor to voice Skye before contacting Ms. Johansson.” In honor of Mr. Johansson, we have suspended the use of Sky's voice in our products and we apologize for not communicating with her better.
Update: This article was originally published Monday at 8 a.m. PT and has been updated to include statements from Johansson and Altman.