Scarlett Johansson took a dig at artificial intelligence after a newly launched OpenAI chatbot used her voice without consent, despite her prior refusal.
The Hollywood star, known for her iconic portrayal of Black Widow in The Avengers, expressed concerns that AI “threatens reality”.
According to the Dailymail, the 40-year-old actress said she was left “shocked and in disbelief” after OpenAI revealed its virtual assistant, Sky, at the Silicon Valley event in May 2024.
Johansson’s fans were quick to notice that the assistant’s voice closely resembled her character in the 2013 film Her, in which she played an AI named Samantha.
At the time of launch, OpenAI boss Sam Altman added fuel to the speculation when he shared a cryptic caption, “her”, on social media, hinting at a connection to the actress.
Following the launch, the Lucy star revealed that she had previously turned down Altman’s offer to voice the AI assistant Sky.
In an exclusive conversation with The Sunday Times, the Under the Skin star discussed her views on the growing influence of AI in the entertainment industry.
Speaking to the outlet, she explained, “I just don’t believe the work I do can be done by AI. I don’t believe the soulfulness of a performance can be replicated. That’s a threat. The bigger picture – about how we human beings, with fragile egos, can continue to have the trust that we have to have in one another, to continue as a society. It’s a moral compass.
“We move around the world every day just knowing we have to trust in some basic reality that we all agree on. AI threatens the foundation of that, and that to me is very haunting.”
Shortly after Johansson’s legal team intervened, OpenAI removed the voice from ChatGPT and claimed that the assistant was never intended to imitate the actress
On the professional front, the Iron Man 2 star is set to appear as Zora Bennett alongside Jonathan Bailey in upcoming film Jurassic World: Rebirth.
For the unversed, Gareth Edwards’ directorial is slated for release on Wednesday, July 2.
