- author, liv mcmahon
- role, Technology Reporter
-
OpenAI announced that it will remove one of the voices ChatGPT used to imitate Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson.
When OpenAI introduced the new model's features, users noticed similarities in the chatbot's “Sky” voice option, which reads responses out loud to the user.
OpenAI said the voices available in ChatGPT's voice mode were “carefully selected through an extensive five-month process involving professional voice actors, talent agencies, casting directors, and industry advisors.”
Her, set in the near future, follows Joaquin Phoenix as he falls in love with a mobile phone operating system, voiced by Johansson.
Director Spike Jonze said at the time that the film was “not about technology or software,” but rather about finding love and intimacy.
In November, Johansson reportedly took legal action against an artificial intelligence (AI) app that used her likeness in an advertisement without her permission.
OpenAI said Monday that its “Sky” voice was not intended to be an “imitation” of the star.
“We believe that AI voices should not intentionally imitate the distinctive voices of celebrities,” the company said in a blog post.
The company said it is “in the process of suspending” the audio while it answers questions about how it was chosen for the X (formerly Twitter) post.
During a demonstration of its more human-like conversational abilities, the chatbot told an OpenAI staff member, “Wow, you're wearing a really nice outfit.”
When someone complimented me, I was told, “Stop it, you're going to blush.''
But for all the memes and posts on ChatGPT featuring GIFs of the film's lonely protagonist Theodore Twombly, there were also critical views of the voice.
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“This gives it the feel of a female character written by a man,'' said an X source.
“Why is she so sneaky and frivolous?”
OpenAI said in a blog post that the five voices used in the chatbot were sampled from partnered voice actors.
Speaking multiple languages and having a voice that “feels timeless” and is “approachable” or “charismatic” were among the traits they targeted when creating their personalities.
The company said it spoke to the finalists individually about their vision for human-AI interaction and the capabilities, limitations and risks of the technology before deciding on their final opinion.
The advanced voice features demoed at the Spring Update event have yet to be rolled out to ChatGPT users.
OpenAI says it plans to make this feature available in the coming weeks to subscribers who pay for faster response times and priority access to new features.
