Adieu Sky: OpenAI’s Controversial Scarlett Johansson Sound-Alike Voice

OpenAI recently found themselves in hot soup after their GPT-4o launch which introduced a new voice model, called Sky to ChatGPT. The voice bore an uncanny resemblance to an actual human voice and was the closest any AI had gotten to actually mimicking a human voice, but however, Hollywood actress, Scarlett Johansson decided to put an end to the fun, since the voice resembled her voice and accused OpenAI of unauthorized voice cloning and misappropriation of likeness.

Scarlett Johansson recently dropped a bombshell, revealing that OpenAI had approached her to lend her voice to their AI system. She turned them down, but months later, they released a voice called Sky that sounded creepily like her. This freaked out not just her friends and family, but the public too.

Johansson didn’t hold back, calling out OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, for going after a voice that mimicked hers. Altman even mentioned a movie where Johansson voiced an AI character, making it pretty obvious the similarity wasn’t just a coincidence.

Two days before they launched the voice, Altman tried to get Johansson to change her mind through her agent. But they released the system before she could even respond. Johansson had to lawyer up, demanding OpenAI explain how they came up with the Sky voice. Reluctantly, OpenAI agreed to pull it.

This whole ordeal has shone a spotlight on the shady side of voice cloning tech and its potential for abuse. Johansson stressed the need for transparency and laws to protect people’s rights and identities as AI tech keeps advancing. Her case raises big questions about consent, ethics, and how we protect personal identity in this new AI era.

Conclusion

Honestly, I really enjoyed using the Sky voice on ChatGPT. It brought a certain personality and charm to the interactions. It’s a real shame it’s gone now. I’ve switched to Juniper, but it’s just not the same. I guess I’ll get used to it, but I’ll definitely miss the unique character that Sky had.