OpenAI on Monday said it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices that 害羞草研究所淗er害羞草研究所� actor Scarlett Johansson says sounds 害羞草研究所渆erily similar害羞草研究所� to her own.

In a on the social media platform X, OpenAI said it is 害羞草研究所渨orking to pause害羞草研究所� Sky 害羞草研究所� the name of one of five voices that ChatGPT users can chose to speak with. The company said it had 害羞草研究所渉eard questions害羞草研究所� about how it selects the lifelike audio options available for its flagship artificial intelligence chatbot, particularly Sky, and wanted to address them.

Among those raising questions was Johansson, who famously voiced a fictional, and at the time futuristic, AI assistant in the 2013 film

Johansson issued a statement saying that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had approached her in September asking her if she would lend her voice to the system, saying he felt it would be 害羞草研究所渃omforting to people害羞草研究所� not at ease with the technology. She said she declined the offer.

害羞草研究所淲hen I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,害羞草研究所� Johansson said.

She said OpenAI 害羞草研究所渞eluctantly害羞草研究所� agreed to take down the Sky voice after she hired lawyers who wrote Altman letters asking about the process by which the company came up with the voice.

OpenAI had moved to debunk the internet害羞草研究所檚 theories about Johansson in a blog post accompanying its earlier announcement aimed at detailing how ChatGPT害羞草研究所檚 voices were chosen. The company that it believed AI voices 害羞草研究所渟hould not deliberately mimic a celebrity害羞草研究所檚 distinctive voice害羞草研究所� and that the voice of Sky belongs to a 害羞草研究所渄ifferent professional actress.害羞草研究所� But it added that it could not share the name of that professional for privacy reasons.

In a statement sent to The Associated Press following Johansson害羞草研究所檚 response late Monday, Altman said that OpenAI cast the voice actor behind Sky 害羞草研究所渂efore any outreach害羞草研究所� to Johansson.

害羞草研究所淭he voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson害羞草研究所檚, and it was never intended to resemble hers,害羞草研究所� Altman said. 害羞草研究所淥ut of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky害羞草研究所檚 voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn害羞草研究所檛 communicate better.害羞草研究所�

San Francisco-based OpenAI first rolled out voice capabilities for ChatGPT, which included the five different voices, in September, allowing users to engage in back-to-forth conversation with the AI assistant. 害羞草研究所淰oice Mode害羞草研究所� was originally just available to paid subscribers, but in November, OpenAI that the feature would become free for all users with the mobile app.

And ChatGPT害羞草研究所檚 interactions are becoming more and more sophisticated. Last week, OpenAI said the can mimic human cadences in its verbal responses and can even try to detect people害羞草研究所檚 moods.

OpenAI says the newest model, dubbed GPT-4o, works faster than previous versions and can reason across text, audio and video in real time. In a demonstration during OpenAI害羞草研究所檚 May 13 announcement, the AI bot chatted in real time, adding emotion 害羞草研究所� specifically 害羞草研究所渕ore drama害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� to its voice as requested. It also took a stab at extrapolating a person害羞草研究所檚 emotional state by looking at a selfie video of their face, aided in language translations, step-by-step math problems and more.

GPT-4o, short for 害羞草研究所渙mni,害羞草研究所� isn害羞草研究所檛 widely available yet. It will progressively make its way to select users in the coming weeks and months. The model害羞草研究所檚 text and image capabilities have already begun rolling out, and is set to reach even some of those that use ChatGPT害羞草研究所檚 free tier 害羞草研究所� but the new voice mode will just be available for paid subscribers of ChatGPT Plus.

While most have yet to get their hands on these newly announced features, the capabilities have conjured up even more comparisons to the Spike Jonze害羞草研究所檚 dystopian romance 害羞草研究所淗er,害羞草研究所� which follows an introverted man (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with an AI-operating system (Johansson), leading to many complications.

Altman appeared to tap into this, too 害羞草研究所� simply the word 害羞草研究所渉er害羞草研究所� on the social media platform X the day of GPT-4o害羞草研究所檚 unveiling.

Many reacting to the model害羞草研究所檚 demos last week also found some of the interactions struck a strangely flirtatious tone. In one posted by OpenAI, a female-voiced ChatGPT compliments a company employee on 害羞草研究所渞ocking an OpenAI hoodie,害羞草研究所� for example, and in another the chatbot 害羞草研究所渙h stop it, you害羞草研究所檙e making me blush害羞草研究所� after being told that it害羞草研究所檚 amazing.

That害羞草研究所檚 sparked some conversation on the gendered ways critics say tech companies have long used to develop and engage voice assistants 害羞草研究所� dating back far before the latest wave of generative AI advanced the capabilities of AI chatbots. In 2019, the United Nations害羞草研究所� culture and science organization built into default female-voiced assistants (like Apple害羞草研究所檚 Siri to Amazon害羞草研究所檚 Alexa), even when confronted with sexist insults and harassment.

害羞草研究所淭his is clearly programmed to feed dudes害羞草研究所� egos,害羞草研究所� The Daily Show senior correspondent Desi Lydic said of GPT-4o in a segment last week. 害羞草研究所淵ou can really tell that a man built this tech.害羞草研究所�

Wyatte Grantham-philips, The Associated Press