Users of OpenAI’s VoiceMode feature have marveled at the life-like speech of its five conversational assistants. However, notable Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson recently made headlines when she publicly condemned OpenAI for the close resemblance between the voice of “Sky,” one artificial voice option that ChatGPT users can choose to speak with, and her own. Johannson stated that she was “shocked, angered and in disbelief” that OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, would develop a voice so similar to her own that “my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference.” This controversy raises sharp concerns about artificial intelligence’s (AI) harrowing ability to mimic people without their consent, especially in the realm of Hollywood. 

OpenAI has since paused the use of Sky’s voice in its applications, but the controversy is just another example of the exploitative power of AI tools amidst a wave of political deepfakes in this election season. Accordingly, concerns about AI’s ability to replicate people’s likeness without their consent are beginning to spur long-awaited change on the legislative front. A bipartisan bill known as the NO FAKES Act, proposed last year, would enable individuals to take legal action against those who create and distribute unauthorized AI-generated digital replicas. This is a notable step toward assuaging the worries of lesser-known actors who may not have copyright protection on their voice and image against AI. 

This isn’t the first time the media industry has had qualms with AI’s capabilities. Most recently, the Writer’s Guild of America — representing 11,500 screenwriters — went on strike from May 2023 to September 2023 over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The screenwriters, among fighting for higher royalties and the mandatory staffing of TV writing rooms, were also demanding safeguards for their jobs from the use of AI. AI tools, which are able to quickly compose elaborate screenplays, pose a direct rival to the hard work of creative film writers and directors. Now, with the recent emergence of voice-based chatbots, AI not only threatens the work of film writers, but also the presence of the actors who star in these productions.

Clearly, society is still attempting to establish the acceptable boundaries of AI’s tremendous reach. While AI tools have certainly been helpful in streamlining tasks in various industries, a heavy debate opens up when considering the extent to which AI can replace humans in their creative pursuits, or even in their mannerisms. At a high level, legislation is being proposed to provide a solution to this issue. Until then, we must maintain a responsible use of AI tools, for the reach of their abilities raises serious ethical concerns about privacy and identity.