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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

#221

Post by jamespo »

hackerlight wrote: post #101
moogly wrote: post #68

Technically? Maybe not. In spirit? Sure as heck.

This could be confirmation bias. Here's an alternative explanation that fits the same facts. Sam tweeted "her", not due to the voice, but due the existence of a conversational system that resembled the system in the movie. This primed people to hear Scarlett Johansson's voice in a generically cheerful female voice actor who was contracted over half a year ago. Scarlett's lawyers encourage her to write a public letter…

It's an alternative explanation all right

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

#222

Post by moralestapia »

dragonelite wrote: post #213
scoot wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Imaging this to be such a legal minefield, can't sell my own voice because a celeb sounds a bit alike as my own voice.

Exactly, that would be absolutely nonsensical.

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

#223

Post by gnicholas »

scoot wrote: post #205
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.

> The only similarity between the voice and Johansson’s is that it’s female, so by your logic half of California has a case.

My understanding was that the voices sound quite similar. I haven't heard the original Sky voice so don't know. Are there any samples online?

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

#224

Post by newaccount74 »

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…

> because she was in fact directed to act like that

It's still Scarlet Johansons voice and acting. The same role with the same lines read by different actors would be very different. Imagine for example that they would have cast Tilda Swinton for Samantha. Even with the same script it would probably end up a very different character. Actors aren't interchangeable.

It's very clear that OpenAI was trying to make ChatGPT sound like Samantha from Her. Whether they used Scarlet Johansons voice to train, or excerpts from the movie, or had writers come up with typical responses that sound similar to Samantha are details, and it's up to the lawyers to figure out whether this is legal or not.

But the undisputable fact is that OpenAI took heavy inspiration from a movie, and did so without permission. You could argue that taking inspiration from a popular movie is fair game, but I'm not sure where the line is between "inspiration" and a blatant rip-off.

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

#225

Post by ComplexSystems »

taytus wrote: post #186
pseudosavant wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

What about the back and forth trying to hire her, and she refusing? Sounds like: "Eh nevermind, we are going to use it anyway and BTW, I'm going to tweet 'HER' " You don't think that will have no weight whatsoever in a lawsuit?

Not if they didn't actually use it, no.

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

#226

Post by ktchg »

joekinley wrote: post #29

I can't help but think that this was all planned. It is a very intricately planned, and geniously executed marketing ploy to make sure everyone knows about the company, the new release, that there is voice now, and even makes everyone look into it just to "see for themselves". Whether this was in with ScarJo in the loop or not, does not really change the outcome, but would be a nice information we probably will never…

Appears to be all planned, as they know ScarJo likes to sue. If they win this case, it will be free play in future for them to hire voice actor/actress that sound like established celebrities.

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

#227

Post by hyfgfh »

scoot wrote: post #205
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.

her

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

#228

Post by marcus_holmes »

gnicholas wrote: post #216
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…

The Midler case is readily distinguishable. From Wikipedia: > Ford Motor created an ad campaign for the Mercury Sable that specifically was meant to inspire nostalgic sentiments through the use of famous songs from the 1970s sung by their original artists. When the original artists refused to accept, impersonators were used to sing the original songs for the commercials. Midler was asked to sing a famous song of hers…

The actress did impersonate Her though.

It's not just a random "voice for your chatbot", it's that particularly breathy, chatty, voice that she performed for the movie.

I would agree with you completely if they'd created a completely different voice. Even if they'd impersonated a different famous actress. But it's the fact that Her was about an AI, and this is an AI, and the voices are identical. It's clearly an impersonation of her work.

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

#229

Post by nhinck3 »

dragonelite wrote: post #213
scoot wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Imaging this to be such a legal minefield, can't sell my own voice because a celeb sounds a bit alike as my own voice.

You can sell your voice to whoever you want.

What you can't do is USE that voice in a way that seeks to mislead (by however much) people into believing it is someone else.

I'm really not sure why people can't understand that it is intent that matters.

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

#230

Post by Pedro_Ribeiro »

blitzar wrote: post #215
Pedro_Ribeiro wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

No she just has to do so without promoting it as having been done by Scarlett Johansson.

It wasn't? None of the people I know thought it was Scarlett Johansson.

When Altman tweeted "her" I just thought: "wow, these voices sound really realistic, kinda like the movie"

Is this lawsuit worthy?

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