The Scarlett Johansson Vs OpenAI Fiasco Has Opened An AI Chasm Over Personality Rights

Actress Samantha Morton initially portrayed Samantha, the voice of the OS1, by performing in a four-by-four carpeted, soundproof booth made of black painted plywood and noise-muffling fabric. After filming wrapped up and Spike Jonze began editing the movie, he sensed something was amiss. With Morton's approval, he chose to recast the role, bringing in Scarlett Johansson to replace Morton and re-record all the dialogue.

Cut to May 2024. When OpenAI unveiled the latest version of ChatGPT called GPT-4o, many users had one question: Is that Scarlett Johansson?

The actress immediately made it clear that she did not do the voiceover for OpenAI — and she demanded that the company stop using the sound-alike. Johansson raised concerns about the unauthorised use of her likeness in this artificial intelligence (AI) model.

Her representatives stated that the use of her image and voice in this manner raised ethical and legal questions about consent, privacy, and the potential for misuse of celebrity identities in AI technology.

In her statement, Johansson provided further details: “Last September, I was approached by Sam Altman, who sought to hire me to voice the ChatGPT 4.0 system. He believed that my involvement could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives, making consumers more at ease with the significant shift in human-A.I. interaction. He expressed confidence that my voice would provide comfort to people.”

Altman made another attempt two days before the ChatGPT product announcement, she added, but the service was launched before they could connect. Johansson, no stranger to battling big companies, hinted at taking legal action.

OpenAI relented. While Altman stated that the actor behind the Sky voice had been cast before he reached out to the movie star, his company decided to pause the use of Sky.

“We regret not communicating better with Ms. Johansson,” he added.

OpenAI clarified that GPT-3 was trained on publicly available data and did not specifically target Scarlett Johansson's likeness.

Although Altman tweeting 'her' on the day GPT-4o's launch didn't help drive the narrative around Johansson's allegations in his favour.

However, the controversy sparked a broader discussion about the ethical implications of using AI to replicate the likeness of individuals, particularly public figures, without their consent. The debate surrounding the Scarlett Johansson vs. OpenAI controversy delves into the complexities of AI ethics, privacy rights, and the boundaries of using celebrity identities in AI applications, especially without their express consent. . 

It also highlights the need for clearer guidelines and regulations regarding the use of personal likenesses in AI technology to ensure respect for the individual's rights and privacy on the one hand and issues such as misrepresentation and exploitation, which carry criminal liability.

Need For Ethical Considerations & Guardrails

AI has become deeply intertwined with ethical considerations, privacy rights, and the use of celebrity identities in applications.

The recent case-in-point being the SAG-AFTRA protests which sought protection for actors from unethical and unfair use of their AI likeness.

The protests highlighted that while celebrities may have a public persona, they also have rights to privacy and control over the use of their likeness. 

As we head towards a future where our lives and AI will be more closely knit together, here are some key considerations and recommendations to deal with the above complex issues:

1. Informed Consent: Developers and users of AI applications should seek informed consent when using celebrity identities, ensuring that individuals are aware of and agree to the use of their likeness in AI technologies.
   
   
2. Data Protection: Strict data protection measures should be implemented to safeguard the privacy of individuals, including celebrities, whose data may be used in AI applications.
   
   
3. Ethical Guidelines: Industry-wide ethical guidelines and best practices should be established to govern the use of celebrity identities in AI, addressing issues of representation, authenticity, and consent.
   
   
4. Legal Frameworks: Legal frameworks should be reviewed and updated to address the intersection of AI, privacy rights, and celebrity identities, providing clear guidelines for the responsible use of celebrity likenesses in AI applications.

It is essential for stakeholders, including AI developers, regulators, and celebrities, to engage in thoughtful discourse and collaboration to ensure that AI technologies are developed and used in a manner that respects ethical principles, protects privacy rights, and upholds the dignity and consent of individuals, including celebrities.

 

The main image in the article has been generated using Picsart's free AI image generator.

(The author is a New Delhi-based economist. Views expressed are personal.)