Days Before Launch, Scarlett Johansson Accused OpenAI of Copying Her Voice—Two Legal Letters Later, Sam Altman Yanked the “Sky” Voice Worldwide. Despite her clear refusal, OpenAI released its new “Sky” voice, which sounded strikingly similar to Scarlett Johansson’s. She immediately deployed her legal team, sending two demands and issuing a press release that publicly exposed Sam Altman’s approach. Within hours, the fierce counter-attack forced OpenAI to globally remove the voice in what became a major AI ethics scandal. Click to read the full story!

OpenAI Brazenly Steals Scarlett’s Voice—”Black Widow’s” Cold Declaration Forces Sam Altman to Bow His Head

The case of OpenAI using a voice for its AI assistant named “Sky” that sounded strikingly similar to actress Scarlett Johansson quickly escalated into a major scandal. It ignited intense debate over AI ethics and intellectual property rights in Silicon Valley. The swift and uncompromising action taken by the “Black Widow” star ultimately forced CEO Sam Altman to back down.

A Plea Rejected, Then Ignored

Scarlett Johansson confirmed that prior to the launch of ChatGPT’s new voice features, CEO Sam Altman had repeatedly attempted to persuade her to allow OpenAI to use her voice. The actress stated she refused the offer due to personal concerns, particularly regarding the protection of her privacy and reputation. Despite this clear refusal, when OpenAI unveiled the “Sky” voice in a product update, both the public and Johansson immediately noticed the uncanny resemblance. The voice was an almost exact replica of the actress’s tone and timbre, a fact made more significant by Johansson’s role as the AI character Samantha in the renowned 2013 film Her, a performance reportedly much admired by Sam Altman.

The Actress’s “Cold Declaration”

Instead of engaging in a social media battle, Scarlett Johansson chose a powerful, calculated public and legal strategy. She immediately hired legal counsel and sent two legal letters to OpenAI, demanding clarity on the process used to create the “Sky” voice and emphasizing the potential legal violations. In a shocking public statement, Johansson issued a forceful press release, publicly exposing OpenAI’s approach to her just two days before the product was scheduled for widespread launch. This statement not only accused the company of wrongdoing but also questioned the ethical responsibility of major tech firms.

The Costly “Revenge”: “Sky” Global Removal

The impact of Scarlett Johansson’s statement was immediate and far-reaching. Within hours of the release, OpenAI was compelled to remove the “Sky” voice from all platforms and users globally. CEO Sam Altman publicly apologized and was forced to issue an explanation, claiming the “Sky” voice was not intended to be an imitation of Johansson’s. However, the urgent action to remove the voice was widely interpreted by the public as a tacit admission of guilt. The incident drew heavy criticism from experts, policymakers, and the public, focusing on OpenAI’s lack of transparency and disregard for personal privacy in the AI development process.

AI Ethics in Voice Cloning

Johansson’s case is not isolated. It is part of a larger wave of controversy surrounding the use of AI to clone the voices and likenesses of famous individuals without consent. Many professional voice actors and screen actors have raised concerns about AI companies allegedly using their voice data without permission to train models, posing a direct threat to their livelihoods. This incident underscores the urgent need for clear legal regulations to protect voice rights and digital likeness of individuals, especially as voice cloning technology rapidly advances and AI becomes increasingly sophisticated. Scarlett Johansson’s decisive action served as a stark warning to the AI industry: personal rights and ethical considerations cannot be sidelined in the pursuit of technological