OpenAI has withdrawn the AI voice, known as “Sky,” from its latest version of ChatGPT after it drew comparisons to the voice of actress Scarlett Johansson in the sci-fi romantic drama ‘Her.’ The company made this decision in response to concerns raised about the resemblance between Sky’s voice and Johansson’s.
The AI voice, Sky, was developed from the voice of another actress, whose identity OpenAI has chosen not to reveal to protect her privacy. OpenAI clarified that Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Johansson’s but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.
The controversy began when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted the word ‘Her’ on social media after the company announced the ChatGPT version. This led to comparisons between Sky’s voice and Johansson’s voice in the movie ‘Her.’ Johansson, who was approached by Altman about being the voice of a new chatbot but declined, was shocked and angered by the resemblance.
OpenAI’s chief technology officer, Mira Murati, stated that the company did not pattern any ChatGPT voices on Johansson’s voice in the movie. She explained that the technology was developed based on robust understandings of the world, not on a movie or a sci-fi story.
Read more: www.npr.org