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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

#591

Post by ChildOfChaos »

throwawaymaths wrote: post #554
IncreasePosts wrote: post #521

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They voice artist put out a statement through her lawyer. She also stated her voice has never been compared to Scarlett in real life by anyone who knows her.

that's because scarlett's voice is pretty generic white upper middle class woman with a hint of vocal fry, and a slight hint of california (pretty typical given pervasiveness of media from california). She's not exactly gilbert gottfried or morgan freeman.

Now I'm just sad that it doesn't respond in a flirty Gilbert Gottfried style voice.

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

#592

Post by zug_zug »

pc86 wrote: post #553
dbreunig wrote: post #505

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This shows how bad it is. If you're proactively sharing a package of docs with the Washingington Post, you're toast. Altman's outreach, his tweet, and the thousands of tweets and comments talking about how similar Sky is to ScarJo is enough to win the case in California.

Then we can add this to the long list of insane lawsuits going the wrong way in California. They asked SJ, she said no. So they went to a voice actor and used her. Case closed, they didn't use SJ's voice without her permission. That doesn't violate any law to any reasonable person.

You have no idea what they did, unless you work there.

All you know is that somebody being sued for multi-millions of dollars (and who's trustworthiness is pretty much shot) is claiming what they did. And frankly given the frequency and ease of voice cloning, there are very few people who can say with confidence that they know 100% that nobody at the company did anything to that effect.

What employee, if any, could say with 100% confidence that this model was trained with 100% samples from the voice actress they alledge and 0% from samples from Scarlett Johansson/her? And if that employee had done so, would they rat out their employer and lose their job over it?

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

#593

Post by monocasa »

Aunche wrote: post #507
zug_zug wrote: post #481

When I first used ChatGPT's voice assistant's I was like "Wow, this one is clearly Scarlett Johansson from Her, they even copy her mannerisms." No amount of unverifiable "records" (just pieces of paper provided by somebody who has a multimillion dollar incentive to show one outcome) will change my mind. But if they can produce the actual voice artist I'd be more open-minded.

I don't think the mannerisms of a performance something that's copyrightable though. It sounded like they used a voice actor who was instructed to speak with a similar intonation as Her, but Scarlet Johansson's voice is more raspy, whereas Sky just sounds like a generic valley girl.

Copyright isn't at issue here; it's instead likeness rights.

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

#594

Post by rst »

Aunche wrote: post #507
zug_zug wrote: post #481

When I first used ChatGPT's voice assistant's I was like "Wow, this one is clearly Scarlett Johansson from Her, they even copy her mannerisms." No amount of unverifiable "records" (just pieces of paper provided by somebody who has a multimillion dollar incentive to show one outcome) will change my mind. But if they can produce the actual voice artist I'd be more open-minded.

I don't think the mannerisms of a performance something that's copyrightable though. It sounded like they used a voice actor who was instructed to speak with a similar intonation as Her, but Scarlet Johansson's voice is more raspy, whereas Sky just sounds like a generic valley girl.

For a case to the contrary: Midler v. Ford -- a case in which Ford hired one of Bette Midler's ex-backup singers to duplicate one of her performances for an ad (after trying and failing to get Midler herself). Ford never said this was actually Midler -- and it wasn't -- but Midler still sued and won. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/849...

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

#595

Post by monocasa »

apwell23 wrote: post #585
dragonwriter wrote: post #583

Hiring a different voice artist might show that they didn't use deepfake technology to imitate Johansson’s voice, but it absolutely doesn't prove that the voice isn't an imitation and one for which they would have been liable under existing law.

voice imitation is illegal?

Copying likeness can be.

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

#596

Post by AndrewKemendo »

OpenAI is running laps around the media and everyone is eating it up

Notice that every month or so they have a few new “scandals” with high intrigue but noticeably iron clad legal and political “cover your ass” investments/ politicking

Meanwhile they are getting deep into bed with Apple, making an admarket (worst possible case scenario for users IMO) and generally cementing all of these commercial inroads for revenue

I’d be impressed if it weren’t so destructive and psychotic

No press is bad press

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

#597

Post by burntalmonds »

stavros wrote: post #509
zug_zug wrote: post #481

When I first used ChatGPT's voice assistant's I was like "Wow, this one is clearly Scarlett Johansson from Her, they even copy her mannerisms." No amount of unverifiable "records" (just pieces of paper provided by somebody who has a multimillion dollar incentive to show one outcome) will change my mind. But if they can produce the actual voice artist I'd be more open-minded.

Funny, I'm the opposite. I saw clips from the film after the controversy (it's been ten years since I saw the film itself) and Sky sounds nothing like Johansson to me. No amount of unverifiable "records".

Same here. In the demo it never sounded like SJ to me. After the story broke I listened to clips from Her and the 4o demo. It doesn't sound like SJ.

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

#598

Post by goatking »

lolinder wrote: post #569
JCharante wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The voice was called Sky and OpenAI wasn't using her likeness to promote the voice or product. She isn't that well known, I didn't even know she was in Her. There's 1 billion English speakers, there are going to be voice overlaps.

> The voice was called Sky That the voice is called Sky is actually part of what's suspicious about this to me. They had all the world of female names to choose from for the voice that would recreate "Her" (and there's plenty of evidence that suggests that the movie was used as inspiration), and they chose one that started with the same rare consonant cluster as this actress. The only other names that Wikipedia lists…

> and they chose one that started with the same rare consonant cluster as this actress

Okay so we can't use voices that are similar to actress voices, and we can't use names that starts with the same "rare consonant cluster" as actress names.

This is getting ridiculous

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

#600

Post by thehappypm »

throwawaymaths wrote: post #560
Uehreka wrote: post #520

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How? This kind of thing is already illegal. If I’m producing a commercial for Joe’s Hot Dogs, and I hire a voice actor who sounds like Morgan Freeman, and he never says “I’m Morgan Freeman” but he’s the main voice in the commercial and the cartoon character he’s voicing looks like Morgan Freeman… well, many consumers will be confused into thinking Morgan Freeman likes Joe’s Hot Dogs, and that’s a violation of Morgan…

no, that's definitely not illegal. Voices are not trademarkable, only jingles (melody, words + tone), and of course specific recordings of voices are copyrighted. The ONLY way they get in trouble is if they claim to be Morgan Freeman.

A reasonable person would assume that the voice in the commercial is Morgan Freeman, which could be very problematic for the commercial maker.
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