Johansson’s OpenAI Feud Sparks Hollywood Fears

OpenAI’s apparent homage to the film “Her,” emulating Scarlett Johansson’s intonation, fuels a backlash against artificial intelligence throughout Hollywood

Johansson’s claim that the ChatGPT-maker plagiarized her performance in the Spike Jonze-directed feature film rekindled the creative class’s concern about the existential threat that A.I. presents. At the same time, Hollywood studios are testing new tools and considering alliances with OpenAI. The accusation was made after an attempt to reach a consensus was unsuccessful.

“This appeared to resonate deeply,” remarked one executive in the industry. “It gives it a little bit of a human aspect… A well-known technology company has allegedly harmed an acquaintance of ours.

OpenAI’s text-to-video tool Sora produced feature films of film-like quality in February, which astounded the entire globe. Agents and industry executives claim that Hollywood executives and agents have met with the company on numerous occasions since then to discuss potential creative partnerships and technological applications.

According to people with direct knowledge, Johansson’s criticism of OpenAI for using a seductive voice she described as “eerily similar” to her own during public demonstrations of the latest version of ChatGPT is upsetting some entertainment executives as they discuss working more closely on projects.

One studio executive remarked, “It certainly does not respectfully establish a collaborative relationship between content creators and tech giants.” He further characterized OpenAI’s actions as “hubris.”

On Monday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said: “The voice is not that of Scarlett Johansson, and no intention was ever made for it to emulate hers. The voice actor responsible for providing Sky’s voice was selected before initiating contact with Ms. Johansson.

Microsoft (MSFT.O), the company’s largest investor, opens a new tab. Following the dispute, the organization declined to comment on requests regarding its relationship with Hollywood.

Agents and executives who spoke with Reuters on condition of anonymity have expressed concern for weeks, even before the most recent dispute, that OpenAI’s models may have been trained on copyrighted works that the technology company considered fair use because they are publicly available online. Specific film and television practitioners may perceive this as a significant barrier and be hesitant to utilize a tool created using the work of others without their permission.

In contrast, entertainment industry technologists regard Sora as a potentially helpful instrument that could enhance the process of producing films and television shows. They foresee applications for the technology shortly that would accelerate the rate of digital effects. 

Fox has already recommended new television programs and films to Tubi subscribers using ChatGPT from OpenAI. 

While OpenAI has expressed its intention to safeguard copyrights by prohibiting the creation of videos featuring well-known actors and characters (e.g., Jennifer Aniston and Superman), there are still apprehensions regarding its approach to protecting lesser-known performers. 

Absence of voice

The conflict between OpenAI and Johansson creates a fresh front in the ongoing struggle between the content industry and the A.I. industry’s frontrunner. According to John Yanchunis, a partner at the law firm Morgan & Morgan, Johansson has the rationale to assert that OpenAI infringed upon her right to publicity, which grants an individual authority over the commercial utilization of their name, image, or likeness. 

Bette Midler reclaimed her voice per California law in a case that legal scholars consider precedent-setting. After declining an offer to perform the song, she filed a successful lawsuit against Young & Rubicam, a new tab advertising agency, on behalf of Ford’s (F.N.) for employing a former backup vocalist to imitate her rendition of “Do You Want to Dance?” for a car commercial. The Supreme Court heard the petition in 1987, which upheld her right to publicity. In 1988, Tom Waits prevailed in a comparable legal dispute against Frito-Lay over a commercial that showcased a rendition imitating the gravelly singing manner of Waits. 

“People were likely to assume that the artists were the ones singing and endorsing the products in both instances because the sound-alikes were performing songs that the original artists had made famous,” said Mark Lemley, director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science, and Technology. 

While the Johansson case may not be as definitive as preceding cases, Lemley asserts that the endeavor to replicate Johansson’s voice from “Her,” in addition to Altman’s persistent attempts to employ her and a tweet he made about the film, collectively constitute “a fairly strong case for Johansson.” 

Akin to the federal protections for copyrights, Jeffrey Bennett, general counsel for the SAG-AFTRA performers union, which was instrumental in establishing the right of publicity in California and elsewhere in the country, has advocated for a federal right for voice and likeness. 

“We are ecstatic that this enormous dialogue has begun about it,” Bennett stated. “We’ve been attempting to bellow about it and use the bullhorn for quite some time… We have been discussing the proliferation of “deep fakes,” and it is now about to begin affecting everyone. It is now, in fact, a conversation. A federal solution is required.” ” “