OpenAI removes a voice from GPT-4o that sounds suspiciously like Scarlett Johansson's in 'Her'

Barely a week after its initial announcement, GPT-4o, the most advanced version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has already been the subject of controversy. It turned out that one of its voices, called Sky, sounded suspiciously similar to that of Scarlett Johansson, who voiced an artificial intelligence virtual assistant in ‘Her’ (2013). Following this accusation, the company decided to cut its losses to avoid legal problems and removed the voice from its catalog.

OpenAI’s GPT-4o controversy and the Scarlett Johansson-like voice in ‘Her’

GPT-4o is the latest version of ChatGPT, available as of May 13, 2024. Among its new and useful features are chat, images, audio and video as input and output methods. This means that we can talk to GPT-4o and the AI can respond to us by talking to us in one of several different voices that we can select.

And this is where the controversy comes in, as many users have noticed that GPT-4o’s “Sky” voice is very similar to Scarlett Johansson’s voice in the 2013 movie “Her,” as can be seen in video clips like the one below:

It doesn’t help that when this new version of ChatGPT was unveiled, company founder and CEO Sam Altman posted a curt “Her” on his X account. And it goes even further, because in a September 2023 interview with the San Francisco Standard, Altman went so far as to say that this Spike Jonze movie was his favorite.

OpenAI washed its hands of the matter in a statement posted on its website on Monday, May 20, which, among other things, talks about the choices it makes when it comes to choosing how its AI voices sound, and how they should not intentionally mimic the voices of professional actors.

The similarities between Sky and Johansson’s voice are such that Saturday Night Live made a joke about it in which Colin Jost, comedian and husband of the actress, participated.

The clues are there, and the CEO’s own preferences may have influenced the fact that Sky’s voice in GPT-4o deliberately resembles that of Scarlett Johansson in ‘Her’. Not that it is her voice as such, but one that is very similar in tone and cadence, giving the impression that it is the popular actress “speaking” to us. Anyway, as mentioned above, to avoid a possible lawsuit with the actress for using a voice similar to hers without proper authorization, they decided to cut their losses and dispense with Sky’s voice.

What was ‘Her’ about and was it a good movie?

Her’ told the story of Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) in the near future in the city of Los Angeles, USA. Twombly is an introverted man who gradually falls in love with Samantha. So far, it seems like a standard romantic movie plot, except for the fact that Samantha is a virtual assistant managed by artificial intelligence that communicates verbally with Theodore.

Scarlett Johansson voiced AI Samantha in “Her,” and her participation in the film in this unique way sparked debate about whether to create a new Oscar category for voice acting, or whether she should be considered a supporting character despite not physically appearing in the film. Phoenix and Johansson were joined by Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, and Chris Pratt.

This feature film was a box office success despite its relatively modest budget. It cost $23 million to make and grossed $48 million. On aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 95% from critics and 82% from audiences, so it was a movie that dazzled professional critics and was well-received by audiences. It also received five nominations at the 2014 Academy Awards, winning the statuette for Best Screenplay.