In an announcement made by OpenAI, they have decided to pause the use of Sky, a voice within their new ChatGPT model that has been compared to Scarlett Johansson’s tone in the movie Her. The company explained that they began selecting and training voice actors for ChatGPT in 2023, receiving 400 proposals. They emphasized that Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Johansson’s voice but rather belongs to a different professional actress who uses her own natural voice.
The decision to pause the use of Sky came after legal warnings received by OpenAI, stemming from an offer made to Johansson last September to include her voice in ChatGPT 4.0. However, Johansson declined the offer for personal reasons and was shocked to hear how similar Sky’s voice sounded to hers when the system was unveiled to the public. This led to legal counsel getting involved, resulting in OpenAI agreeing to remove the Sky voice from their platform.
OpenAI plans to introduce new voices to ChatGPT in the future, catering to various user preferences. In her statement, Johansson emphasized the importance of clarity in issues related to deepfakes and the protection of individual rights, calling for transparency and appropriate legislation to safeguard personal identities. This controversy surrounding Sky’s voice has sparked discussions about AI voices, privacy concerns, and the ethics of voice emulation in artificial intelligence technology.
