Scarlett Johansson battles OpenAI over AI voice clone allegations

The rise of AI has rekindled concerns over potential misuse, with Hollywood A-lister Scarlett Johansson accusing OpenAI of cloning her voice for their AI assistant ChatGPT 4o's "Sky" voice. 

Johansson claims OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had initially approached her to provide her voice for ChatGPT, which she declined. Months later, when 4o launched with new voice capabilities including "Sky," the actor was stunned by its uncanny resemblance to her own voice.

Outraged, Johansson's legal team contacted OpenAI, leading them to agree to stop using the "Sky" voice. The actor expressed disbelief that Altman would pursue a voice so similar to hers despite her refusal.

Highlighting the need for transparency and ethical AI practices, Johansson urged legislation to protect individual identities from exploitation in the deepfake era.

While Altman apologised for the lack of communication, he maintained that "Sky" was voiced by a professional actor, not cloned from Johansson.