OpenAI’s ChatGPT continues to be the focus of controversies in 2024. The latest one stems from the alleged use of Scarlett Johansson’s voice for the company’s new voice assistance feature. Johansson released a statement last night, claiming that OpenAI had approached her to serve as the voice for ChatGPT, but when she turned down the offer, the company proceeded to develop a voice that closely resembled hers.

Part of her statement read, “Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system.” Johansson, who played the role of an AI in Spike Jonze’s *Her* (2013), further claims that Sam Altman had contacted her agent as recently as two days before the company first demoed the ChatGPT voice, asking her to reconsider.

Altman has been on record admitting that Johansson’s work in the movie, which he considers his favourite film, inspired him. Just last week, the CEO posted “her,” after the public demo of ChatGPT 4.0, seemingly referencing the movie.

In a statement provided to The Verge, Altman said: “The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms Johansson, we have paused using Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”

Following the backlash, it was announced that OpenAI will be pulling the voice of Sky, its new AI voice assistant, from the platform. Johansson, the *Lost In Translation* actor, is said to be “shocked, angered, and in disbelief” over the similarities between her voice and the voice of Sky. While OpenAI claims that the voice was sourced from an actor speaking in their normal tone, the company has declined to share the actor’s name due to privacy concerns.

Sky's voice has been available since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT’s voice mode last September. However, the link to Scarlett Johansson became more evident last week when OpenAI showcased an updated AI model with a more expressive voice. This demo bore a striking resemblance to Johansson’s character in Her, sparking headlines and even a joke on Saturday Night Live about the similarity.