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OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

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Re: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

#201

Post by boxed »

pests wrote: post #103
boxed wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Copying by hiring a sound-alike/impersonator is an implementation detail. They knew full well that they were trying to copy her voice. Then they asked. And they got a no. And then they did it anyway. I don't see how the implementation details matter at all.

It's their natural voice. Are they not allowed to hire a person that sounds like... any famous person? Aren't others in this thread claiming how similar voices can be and theyre not unqiue?

Is it though? Or did the voice actor try to sound more like Scarlett?

Re: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

#202

Post by blitzar »

flexie wrote: post #175
resolutebat wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm genuinely not sure what you're trying to say here. Are you claiming that this was somehow engineered by Altman on purpose to draw attention, because all publicity is good publicity? Or engineered by his enemies to throw mud at Altman, because if you throw enough some of it will stick? Occam's Razor argues that Sam simply wanted ScarJo's voice, but couldn't get it, so they came up with a legally probably technical…

It's not a clone. What is ethically murky about it? You want Brad Pitt for your movie. He says no. You hire Benicio Del Toro because of the physical resemblence. Big deal. Having seen "Her" and many other Scarlet Johansson movies, I didn't think for a second that GPT-4o sounded like her. On the contrary, I wondered why they had chosen the voice of a middle aged woman, and whether that was about being woke. It wasn't…

You then tweet out, "look its Brad Pitt in my movie".

Re: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

#203

Post by lupusreal »

gambiting wrote: post #193
lagt_t wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Midler v Ford

So I didn't know about this case, and indeed, it's an interesting one. I think the key difference here is that Ford hired an impersonator to sing Midler's song, so you know....the default assumption is that it's Midler singing. In OpenAI case unless they presented the voice as being the voice of Johanson, then I don't see how hiring someone who merely sounds like her would be an issue. The "her" tweet from Altman is…

> I think the key difference here is that Ford hired an impersonator to sing Midler's song, so you know....the default assumption is that it's Midler singing

Check out the Tom Waits case.

Re: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

#204

Post by prmoustache »

taytus wrote: post #190
throwaway115 wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would like to think that a normal person, having not been able to hire voice work from a specific well-known actor, and wanting to avoid any image of impropriety, would use a completely different voice instead. Sam isn't dumb, he knew the optics of this choice, but he chose it anyways, and here we all are, talking about OpenAI again.

IDK, we were talking about OpenAi regardless. I think this will be a hit on him as a leader. How big? I don't know. It seems to me this is not a brilliant move.

Yeah but we were also talking about the competitors.

Re: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

#205

Post by scoot »

omnicognate wrote: post #171

Comments full of people reading the headline and assuming that what OpenAI did here is fine because it's a different actress, but that's not how "Right of publicity" (*) laws work. The article itself explains that there is significant legal risk here: > Mitch Glazier, the chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America, said that Johansson may have a strong case against OpenAI if she brings forth a l…

They contacted Johansson after the Sky voice was created, they didn’t create it because she declined.

The voice actor isn’t a Johansson imitator, and the voice isn’t an imitation.

The only similarity between the Sky voice and Johansson’s is that it’s a white American female, so by your logic a significant percentage of the US population has a case.

Re: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

#206

Post by Pedro_Ribeiro »

mondrian wrote: post #181
justeoghan wrote: post #163

I never comment on HN I’ve just always been a long time lurker but I feel like I’m going crazy here reading comments. SJ is not the “AI” portrayed in the movie her. And AFAIK she does not in fact have all the same idiosyncrasies and tones in real life as the voice does in the movie because she was in fact directed to act like that. Not only that but the voices are not the same because there was another actress for sk…

Well as the article states, there’s legal precedent protecting actors from having their voices “impersonated” by other actors. The fact that Altman tweeted “her” and contacted Johansson can make the case for the intent to impersonate.

What if that's just the VA's natural voice? Must she stop doing VA?

Re: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

#207

Post by nhinck3 »

DeathArrow wrote: post #94

In today's climate you are considered guilty until you prove you are innocent. People who accused you don't have to show any proof.

In today's climate I can I can infer through OpenAI's past and present actions what their intent was.

Re: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

#208

Post by wruza »

Is there even a general consensus on likeness protection? I’m not gonna defend OAI ever now, but tbh the concept of likeness feels too stretched to me. If one naturally looks, sounds or behaves like the other, do they violate their rights? How can likeness be illegal if it’s not a direct theft of their work? Are photos of movie stars illegal to print? Where does likeness end? Is likeness yours even or does it live in people’s minds?

I can make enough arguments and counterarguments, but this whole thing doesn’t sound convincing. If I want to change my voice to sound like Michael Jackson and walk like him, no one’s business if I do that and publicly.

I understand the concerns of “looks and sound” models here, but the reality changes with time and thick ice becomes thin, you have to adapt too. Progress isn’t responsible for everyone’s job, especially if it’s built on such an ephemeral concept. That only worked for a while.

Re: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

#209

Post by XorNot »

jonathankoren wrote: post #144
eps wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless they can clearly demostrate reproducing the voice from raw voice actor recordings, this could be just a parallel construction to cover their asses for exactly this sort of case.

Doesn't matter. Waits v Frito Lay

Which is not as similar as people keep saying though: both that case, and Bette Midler's involved singers, who perform as themselves and are their own brand.

Consider when a company recasts a voice actor in something: i.e. the VA Rick and Morty have been replaced, Robin Williams was not the voice of genie in Aladdin 2 or the animated series.

Re: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

#210

Post by apetrovic »

pseudosavant wrote: post #176
justeoghan wrote: post #163

I never comment on HN I’ve just always been a long time lurker but I feel like I’m going crazy here reading comments. SJ is not the “AI” portrayed in the movie her. And AFAIK she does not in fact have all the same idiosyncrasies and tones in real life as the voice does in the movie because she was in fact directed to act like that. Not only that but the voices are not the same because there was another actress for sk…

Exactly. Lots of voices sound like other peoples’ voices. We aren’t that unique. SJ doesn’t get to own the voice rights to everyone that sounds at all like her just because she is famous.

So if I have a company that sells, say, manure, I can search and hire a voice actress that sounds exactly like Scarlett to promote me in radio ads? And write a tweet that vaguely implies that it's really her?
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