Final week OpenAI revealed a brand new conversational interface for ChatGPT with an expressive artificial voice strikingly much like that of the AI assistant performed by Scarlett Johansson within the sci-fi film Her—solely to instantly disable the brand new voice over the weekend.
On Monday, Johansson issued a press release claiming to have compelled that reversal, after her attorneys demanded OpenAI make clear how the brand new voice was created.
Johansson’s assertion, relayed to WIRED by her publicist, claims that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman requested her final September to offer ChatGPT’s new voice however that she declined. She describes being astounded to see the corporate demo a brand new voice for ChatGPT final week that appeared like her anyway.
“After I heard the discharge demo I used to be shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily much like mine that my closest pals and information shops couldn’t inform the distinction,” the assertion reads. It notes that Altman appeared to encourage the world to attach the demo with Johansson’s efficiency by tweeting out “her,” in reference to the film.
Johansson’s assertion says her agent was contacted by Altman two days earlier than final week’s demo asking that she rethink her choice to not work with OpenAI. After seeing the demo, she says she employed authorized counsel to put in writing to OpenAI asking for particulars of the way it made the brand new voice.
The assertion claims that this led to OpenAI’s announcement in a submit on X Sunday that it had determined to “pause using Sky,” the corporate’s identify for the artificial voice.
Sky is one in every of a number of artificial voices that OpenAI gave ChatGPT final September however finally week’s occasion it displayed a way more lifelike intonation with emotional cues. The demo noticed a model of ChatGPT powered by a brand new AI mannequin referred to as GPT-4o seem to flirt with an OpenAI engineer in a method that many viewers discovered paying homage to Johansson’s efficiency in Her.
When requested why OpenAI had determined to disable Sky, Niko Felix, an OpenAI spokesperson referred WIRED to a weblog submit additionally from Sunday outlining the method the corporate went by means of to decide on its voice. “Sky’s voice is just not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson however belongs to a unique skilled actress utilizing her personal pure talking voice,” the submit says.
“For now, we’re pausing using Sky’s voice whereas we deal with some questions, however we hope to carry it again quickly,” Felix stated.
The battle with Johansson provides to OpenAI’s present battles with artists, writers, and different creatives. The corporate is already defending a variety of lawsuits alleging it inappropriately used copyrighted content material to coach its algorithms, together with fits from The New York Occasions, and authors together with George R.R. Martin.
Generative AI has made it a lot simpler to create real looking artificial voices, creating new alternatives and threats. In January, voters in New Hampshire had been bombarded with robocalls that includes a deepfaked voice message from Joe Biden. In March, OpenAI stated that it had developed a expertise that might clone somebody’s voice from a 15 second clip however the corporate stated it might not launch the expertise due to the way it is perhaps misused.