OpenAI is set to temporarily disable one of its five ChatGPT voices, “Sky,” following a humorous remark by Scarlett Johansson’s husband, Colin Jost, on Saturday Night Live. Jost joked about Sky’s similarity to Johansson’s AI character in the 2013 film “Her,” where she voiced an AI named Samantha.
In response, OpenAI announced on Monday that it will pause Sky’s usage while addressing these concerns. Despite this, Sky remains available on ChatGPT’s iOS app at the time of writing.
OpenAI clarified in a blog post that its synthetic voices, including Sky, were created using professional actors. “Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice,” the post stated. OpenAI emphasized the privacy of their voice talents by not disclosing their identities.
CEO Sam Altman recently mentioned that upcoming ChatGPT features “feel like AI from the movies.” While Johansson’s voice wasn’t an inspiration, Hollywood casting directors helped select voices that are “timeless,” “warm, engaging,” and “natural.”
OpenAI continues to collaborate with its existing voice actors for audio research and developing the new GPT-4o voice mode, expected to launch in alpha for Plus subscribers in the coming weeks.
