OpenAI announced it will halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices, named Sky, after Scarlett Johansson claimed that it sounded “eerily similar” to her own, Associated Press reports.
Johansson had previously declined a request from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to lend her voice to the system and was shocked when she heard the Sky voice. She hired lawyers to address the issue, leading OpenAI to agree to pause Sky’s voice. OpenAI denied mimicking her voice, stating Sky’s voice belongs to a different professional actress whose identity remains private for confidentiality reasons. Altman apologized for the poor communication.
Meanwhile, OpenAI announced the latest update to its AI model, GPT-4o, which can mimic human cadences, detect moods, and reason across text, audio, and video in real time. The new features have drawn comparisons to Johansson’s role in the film “Her,” sparking conversations about the gendered nature that tech companies develop and engage voice assistants.
