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

washingtonpost.com

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

#801

Post by spullara »

jmull wrote: post #631

Well, here are some things that aren't really being disputed: * OpenAI wanted an AI voice that sounds like SJ * SJ declined * OpenAI got an AI voice that sounds like SJ anyway I guess they want us to believe this happened without shenanigans, but it's bit hard to. The headline of the article is a little funny, because records can't really show they weren't looking for an SJ sound-alike. They can just show that those…

Since they asked two days before it was launched back in September my guess is that the voice was already created by then.

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

#802

Post by kopecs »

paulddraper wrote: post #774
jmull wrote: post #631

Well, here are some things that aren't really being disputed: * OpenAI wanted an AI voice that sounds like SJ * SJ declined * OpenAI got an AI voice that sounds like SJ anyway I guess they want us to believe this happened without shenanigans, but it's bit hard to. The headline of the article is a little funny, because records can't really show they weren't looking for an SJ sound-alike. They can just show that those…

I don't understand. If you literally use SJ's image or voice, then you're in trouble. If it's an SJ lookalike or soundalike (and you don't claim otherwise), there's no problem. Right? What's the "shenanigans?"

> If it's an SJ lookalike or soundalike (and you don't claim otherwise), there's no problem.

This isn't true. At least with respect to "soundalike" see, e.g., Waits v. Frito-Lay 978 F.2d 1093 and Midler v. Ford Motor Co. 849 F.2d 460.

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

#803

Post by FireBeyond »

tptacek wrote: post #655
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.

The Washington Post comprehensively refuted the story. This is like the "this is good for Bitcoin because ____" meme, but in reverse.

They literally didn't question any of OAI's claims. They just regurgitated them.

They were desperate for a non-union-only actor in their casting. But repeatedly kept hitting up a union actor.

What fears for the actress' safety have been portrayed such that not only does she needs to stay anonymous, but her agent does too?

"Altman was not involved"... yet he personally reached out to SJ to try to close the deal?

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

#804

Post by gs17 »

rmbyrro wrote: post #739
jmull wrote: post #631

Well, here are some things that aren't really being disputed: * OpenAI wanted an AI voice that sounds like SJ * SJ declined * OpenAI got an AI voice that sounds like SJ anyway I guess they want us to believe this happened without shenanigans, but it's bit hard to. The headline of the article is a little funny, because records can't really show they weren't looking for an SJ sound-alike. They can just show that those…

I think a better characterization would be: * OpenAI wanted an AI voice that is SJ's voice * SJ declined * OpenAI got an AI voice from another person that sounds like SJ

That would require a step 3 where they get in a time machine:

> But while many hear an eerie resemblance between “Sky” and Johansson’s “Her” character, an actress was hired to create the Sky voice months before Altman contacted Johansson, according to documents, recordings, casting directors and the actress’s agent.

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

#805

Post by sanderjd »

tptacek wrote: post #650
qarl wrote: post #644

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right. And that's extremely hard to believe. A discovery search of the internal emails should give us a definitive answer.

To find this "extremely hard to believe", you have to argue that this story, which has multiple sources unaffiliated with OpenAI, contemporaneous documentary evidence, and is written by a reporter with every incentive in the world to roast OpenAI, is directly wrong about facts plainly reported in the story. I think you have to want this story to be wrong to think it's wrong. It's a tough beat! Everyone was super sure…

It isn't the specific facts covered by the article that I find hard to believe. It's claims like "they probably weren't even aware of the movie and definitely weren't trying to create a voice that sounded like it".

It's true that their behavior is less damning, with the facts from this reporting. And that's a good thing. But it's not true, in my opinion, that the article demonstrates that there is no behavior to criticize.

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

#806

Post by eagleinparadise »

jmull wrote: post #631

Well, here are some things that aren't really being disputed: * OpenAI wanted an AI voice that sounds like SJ * SJ declined * OpenAI got an AI voice that sounds like SJ anyway I guess they want us to believe this happened without shenanigans, but it's bit hard to. The headline of the article is a little funny, because records can't really show they weren't looking for an SJ sound-alike. They can just show that those…

So what? They’re free to hire whoever they want to be a voice actor. It’s not illegal for them to hire someone that sounds like Barack Obama.

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

#807

Post by FireBeyond »

tptacek wrote: post #653
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.

They did produce the actual voice artist!

Where? Right now you have "An anonymous person says that an anonymous person said this to him in an email".

That's a pretty low bar for "produced the actual voice artist".

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

#808

Post by FireBeyond »

Hansenq wrote: post #784
mzs wrote: post #771

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see that here: https://openai.com/index/how-the-voices-for-chatgpt-were-cho... Is my my google-fu failing me and I'm not looking in the right place?

If you read the WaPo article that's the topic of this thread, you'll see that the actual voice artist is quoted in the article.

No. You'll see that the anonymous artist's anonymous agent supplied a quote he got in an email to WaPo.

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

#809

Post by LocalPCGuy »

HarHarVeryFunny wrote: post #786
jackothy wrote: post #695

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's not necessarily saying that was the goal from the start. All he is admitting with that tweet is that it is indeed (he finds it to be) reminiscent of "Her".

Well, from the start, Altman wanted SJ to do the voice. Perhaps he'd never seen or heard of the movie "her", and the association is just coincidental? After "she" said no, then Altman auditions a bunch of voice talent and picks someone who sounds just like SJ. I guess that's just the kind of voice he likes. So, Altman has forgotten about SJ, has 5 voice talents in the bag, and is good to go, right? But then, 2 days(!…

> After "she" said no, then Altman auditions a bunch of voice talent and picks someone who sounds just like SJ.

According to the article, the word After here is incorrect. It states the voice actor was hired months before the first contact with SJ. They might be lying, but when they hired the voice actor seems like it would be a verifiable fact that has contracts and other documentation.

And like others, not defending OpenAI, but that timeline does tend to break the narrative you put forth in this post.

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

#810

Post by dragonwriter »

tptacek wrote: post #670
HarHarVeryFunny wrote: post #668

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Clearly an SJ voice was the goal, given that Altman asked her to do it, asked her a second time just two days before the ChatGPT-4o release, and then tweeted "her" on the release day. The next day Karpathy, recently ex-OpenAI, then tweets "The killer app of LLMs is Scarlett Johansson". Altman appears to be an habitual liar. Note his recent claim not to be aware of the non-disparagement and claw-back terms he had depa…

They hired the actor that did the voice months before they contacted SJ . The reaction on this site to the news that this story was false is kind of mindbending.

Legally, the issue isn’t what they were thinking when they hired the actor, it’s what the intent and effect was when they went to market. (Even if there was documentary evidence that they actively sought out an actor for resemblance to SJ’s voice from day one, the only reason that would be relevant is because it would also support that that was there intent with the product when it was actually released, not because it is independently relevant on its own.)

Whether or not they had any interest in SJ’s voice when they hired the other actor, they clearly developed such an interest before they went to market, and there is at least an evidence-based argument that could be made in court that they did, in fact, commercially leverage similarity.

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