Scarlett Johansson 'Shocked' That OpenAI Used a Voice 'So Eerily Similar' to Hers After Already Telling the Company 'No' Johansson asked OpenAI how they created the AI voice that her "closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference."

By Sherin Shibu Edited by Melissa Malamut

Key Takeaways

  • OpenAI asked Scarlett Johansson to use her voice for its newest ChatGPT. She declined.
  • The company instead used a voice "eerily similar" to hers, the actress stated on Monday.
  • OpenAI has since paused the voice AI's rollout.

OpenAI released its new GPT-4o model last week, featuring a voice that sounded similar to Scarlett Johansson's — even though the actress turned the company down for the job months ago.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman asked Johansson to voice the ChatGPT update, GPT-4o, in September to help the general public feel more comfortable with changes brought about by AI, according to a statement Johansson released Monday.

She turned him down "for personal reasons." Nine months later, she was shocked to hear ChatGPT's "eerily similar" new voice, Sky, which the company placed front and center in their demo.

Related: OpenAI Launches New AI Chatbot, GPT-4o

"When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference," Johansson stated.

Scarlett Johansson. Photo by ZOULERAH NORDDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Johansson voiced an AI in the 2013 movie "Her." Altman tweeted "her" on the day of the release — implying that the company's choice to go with a similar voice "was intentional," Johansson said.

According to Johansson's statement, she hired legal counsel following GPT-4o's release and asked OpenAI to transparently detail how they created the "Sky" AI voice that sounds like hers.

As a result, the company "reluctantly" took down the voice, she stated. OpenAI paused the rollout of the voice on Monday.

In response, OpenAI released a blog post on Sunday stating that Sky's voice came from another actress and is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson's.

"We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice," OpenAI wrote in a Sunday blog post.

OpenAI has been under scrutiny over the safety of its AI models and the high-profile resignations of leading researchers, including Jan Leike, who resigned last week and called for OpenAI to put safety first over "shiny products."

OpenAI is currently worth $80 billion.

Related: OpenAI Chief Scientist, Cofounder Ilya Sutskever Resigns

Sherin Shibu

Entrepreneur Staff

News Reporter

Sherin Shibu is a business news reporter at Entrepreneur.com. She previously worked for PCMag, Business Insider, The Messenger, and ZDNET as a reporter and copyeditor. Her areas of coverage encompass tech, business, strategy, finance, and even space. She is a Columbia University graduate.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Growing a Business

They Went From Selling Hangers as Kids to Starting a Retail Brand Worth $2.8 Billion – Here's What the Property Brothers Learned About Entrepreneurship

The kings of HGTV, Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott, share their insights as lifelong entrepreneurs.

Marketing

Trying to Reach a Multi-Generational Audience? Here Are the 3 Elements Your Marketing Strategy Must Include.

Reaching multiple generations doesn't have to be a challenge. Learn how to craft a unified, data-driven marketing strategy that combines personalization, multi-channel reach and timeless techniques to connect with audiences spanning Boomers to Gen Z and beyond.

Side Hustle

This 31-Year-Old Spends 2 Hours Per Week On His $3,000-a-Month Passive Income Side Hustle: 'Trust Your Vision'

Hansel Moore's home office "wasn't cutting it" — so he found another place to be creative.

Franchise

4 Tips for Selecting the Right Location for Your Franchise

Stay true to your model and understand your guests so your new location will create the same experience they've come to expect everywhere you operate.