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By Monica Sager
Live News Reporter
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman may have a future career as a villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least according to the "Black Widow" star Scarlett Johansson.
"I guess he would — maybe with a robotic arm," Johansson told Maureen Dowd of the New York Times when asked as part of an interview published over the weekend.
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Johansson's comments come after her high-profile dispute with Altman and his artificial intelligence research company that started when OpenAI launched an AI voice assistant that eerily sounds very similar to the actress's voice.
OpenAI debuted "Sky" in May as part of its GPT-4o iteration of the technology. Industry professionals and many others immediately noted the similarities between the assistant and Johansson, who voiced the AI assistant Samantha in the dystopian Spike Jonze film "Her."
In a statement at the time, Johansson said her agent had been approached by Altman days prior to Sky's release, asking that Johansson allow her distinctive, husky voice to be licensed for its latest technology, known as GPT-4o. Johansson said no.
"When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference," her statement read.
Internet users were quick to note the similarities between Sky and Johansson. On the ChatGPT subreddit, the thread garnered over 2,000 upvotes and 450 comments, with some users insisted that the voice was clearly meant to sound like Johansson's, while others believed it sounded like other actresses, notably Rashida Jones from "Parks and Recreation."
OpenAI and Altman claim that Sky's voice was not intended to mimic the "Her" star but has since changed it "out of respect for Ms. Johansson."
"Sky's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice," the company said in a statement.
During the launch of Sky in May, Altman cryptically posted the word "her" to his X account, suggesting to many that the product was at least inspired by the 2013 film, which starred Joaquin Phoenix as a loner who falls in love with his AI voice assistant.
In her statement, Johansson said she had hired legal counsel and argued the issue part of a broader collision between the rise of artificial intelligence and the creative work of artists.
"In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity," Johansson said. "I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected."
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