OpenAI delays the launch of its real-time voice assistant

A mode that has generated too much controversy

A few days after the presentation of the voice mode, OpenAI received a lawsuit from actress Scarlett Johansson, who complained because they used a voice similar to hers after having declined to be the official voice of the system.

“Last September I received an offer from Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI), who wanted to hire me to give voice to the current ChatGPT-4.0 system,” Johansson wrote about the first approach from Altman, who has expressed that the film Herdirected by Spike Jonze, is his favorite.

As expressed by the actress, Altman wanted to use her voice because she believed it “could bridge the gap between technology companies and creatives, as well as help consumers feel comfortable with the seismic shift affecting humans and AI.” . She said that she felt that my voice would comfort people.”

Johansson stressed that she rejected Altman’s offer for personal reasons, but upon detecting that the voice was “eerily similar” to hers, she was surprised, angry and incredulous, even at the fact that the executive used the word Her to promote his system. after the presentation.

The Hollywood star also said that a couple of days before the release of GPT-4o, Altman’s team contacted his agent again and asked him to reconsider his decision; However, before they could establish communication with it, the system had already been shown to the public.