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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOpenAI paused ChatGPT’s Sky voice in May 2024 after Scarlett Johansson said it sounded “eerily similar” to her voice, particularly her performance as Samantha in the film Her. OpenAI denied deliberately imitating her and said another professional actress performed Sky. The pause addressed a public dispute; it was not a finding that OpenAI had copied Johansson or broken the law.
What was ChatGPT’s Sky voice?
Sky was one of five voices—Breeze, Cove, Ember, Juniper and Sky—available for ChatGPT’s voice features. OpenAI introduced voice capabilities in September 2023, saying the voices were created with professional voice actors. The dispute concerned Sky’s sound and persona; the available accounts do not establish that ChatGPT used a recording of Johansson speaking. OpenAI’s account of how it chose the voices describes its selection process.
Comparisons intensified after OpenAI introduced GPT-4o on May 13, 2024, with a more expressive voice interface. Many listeners connected Sky with Johansson’s portrayal of Samantha, an AI operating system, in the 2013 film Her. Sam Altman also posted “her” on X that day, a reference that strengthened the association for some observers. That context helps explain the reaction, but it does not prove that Sky was designed to imitate Johansson. OpenAI’s GPT-4o announcement introduced the model; NPR’s contemporaneous report covered the comparisons and dispute.
What happened, and when?
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| September 2023 | OpenAI introduced ChatGPT voice capabilities with five voices, including Sky. |
| Approximately September 2023 | Johansson later said Altman asked her to voice ChatGPT and that she declined. |
| May 10, 2024 | OpenAI says Altman contacted Johansson’s team about the GPT-4o launch and asked whether she might reconsider joining as a future voice. |
| May 13, 2024 | OpenAI introduced GPT-4o’s more expressive voice interface. Altman posted “her” on X. |
| May 15, 2024 | OpenAI says it began discussing Johansson’s concerns with her team. |
| May 19, 2024 | OpenAI says it paused Sky in its products. |
| May 20, 2024 | Johansson’s statement and news reports made the dispute public; OpenAI said it was working to pause Sky while addressing questions about the voices. |
| May 22, 2024 | OpenAI updated its account with additional timeline details. |
The dates for OpenAI’s selection and outreach process are the company’s account, while the earlier approach and refusal are Johansson’s account. The differing accounts do not establish that the later outreach caused Sky’s selection or that it was connected to a deliberate imitation. OpenAI’s timeline and NPR’s report describe the respective claims.
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What did Johansson say, and how did OpenAI respond?
Johansson’s account
Johansson said Altman approached her about voicing ChatGPT roughly nine months before the controversy and that she declined for personal reasons. She said he contacted her again shortly before the GPT-4o launch. After hearing Sky, she said she was “shocked” and “angered” by what she described as its “eerily similar” sound. She also said friends, journalists and others had trouble distinguishing it from her voice.
According to Johansson’s public statement as reported by NPR, her legal team sent OpenAI two letters seeking information about how Sky was created. She called for transparency and legislation to protect individual rights in the AI era. These are Johansson’s claims and characterizations, not findings made by a court. NPR’s report recounts her statement and the company’s response.
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OpenAI’s response
OpenAI said Sky was performed by a different professional actress, that the actor had been cast before the company contacted Johansson, and that Sky was not intended to resemble her. The company did not identify the performer, citing her privacy. Altman apologized for OpenAI’s poor communication and said the company paused Sky “out of respect” for Johansson’s concerns. OpenAI also said voice actors were paid above top-market rates and would continue to be compensated while their voices were used; that compensation claim is the company’s, not an independently audited figure. OpenAI’s statement sets out these points.
A different performer does not, by itself, settle whether a voice was selected, coached or presented to evoke a particular person. Conversely, perceived resemblance alone does not establish that anyone deliberately appropriated that person’s identity. OpenAI’s denial and Johansson’s objection leave intent and the development process unresolved in the public accounts cited here.
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What legal issue does the dispute raise?
The central issue discussed by legal commentators is more likely the right of publicity than ordinary copyright infringement. Publicity rights can protect a person’s identity—including, in some circumstances, a distinctive voice—from unauthorized commercial use. California Civil Code §3344 addresses knowing use of a person’s name, voice, signature, photograph or likeness in connection with products, services, advertising or solicitation without consent. Whether it applies depends on the facts and legal theory; the statute is not a rule that makes every soundalike unlawful. California Civil Code §3344 provides the statutory text.
Commentators have also pointed to Midler v. Ford Motor Co., a Ninth Circuit case involving a commercial that used another singer to imitate Bette Midler’s distinctive singing voice after she declined to participate. The court recognized a California common-law publicity claim in that context. It is relevant by analogy, not a verdict on Johansson’s dispute: the evidence of intent, commercial context and the particular voice at issue would matter. Legal scholars have disagreed about how strong a potential claim would be if the similarity were superficial and deliberate imitation could not be shown. The University of Virginia School of Law’s analysis discusses the Midler comparison and the limits of copyright and publicity theories; Georgetown’s legal analysis considers the possible publicity claim.
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A voice is not automatically protected by copyright in the way a particular recording, song or film performance may be. Depending on the facts, legal questions might instead involve publicity, misappropriation, false endorsement, contract or consumer confusion. Neither the use of a different actor nor a resemblance allegation alone resolves those questions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is established, and what remains unknown?
| Established in the public accounts | Not established by those accounts |
|---|---|
| Sky was a ChatGPT voice, and OpenAI said it paused the voice on May 19, 2024. | That Sky was Johansson’s recorded voice or a direct clone of it. |
| Johansson publicly objected to the resemblance and said she had declined an offer to voice ChatGPT. | That Sky was deliberately designed or coached to imitate her. |
| OpenAI said a different professional actress performed Sky and denied intending to imitate Johansson. | That a court found OpenAI liable, or that the pause was a legal admission or settlement. |
| Johansson said her lawyers sent OpenAI two letters seeking information. | The casting brief, coaching instructions, internal communications or full audio-development process. |
The available reporting documents legal letters and a public threat of legal action, but does not establish a court ruling on the voice or a lawsuit resulting in a judgment. A pause is a product decision, not proof of liability. OpenAI’s May 2024 response described the pause amid questions and concerns; the public record cited here does not establish a legal settlement or a definitive cause for the decision.
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Why the dispute matters beyond one voice
For actors and voice professionals, the dispute highlights the difference between hiring a performer, obtaining consent to use a recording, and creating a performance that audiences associate with a recognizable person. Compensation and permission are related but distinct questions: paying an actor does not answer whether a separate person’s identity has been evoked, while a resemblance does not prove that the performer or company intended it.
It also shows why disclosure and process matter in conversational AI. A voice can become part of a product’s identity, and a familiar fictional role can shape how listeners interpret it. Altman’s “her” post contributed to that interpretation but does not, by itself, prove how Sky was developed. OpenAI’s decision not to name the Sky performer leaves her identity private; speculation about who she is or how she was directed would go beyond the available evidence.
California has continued to consider legislation concerning digital replicas and identity. Later proposals should not be treated as rules that governed the May 2024 events; their status and scope depend on the legislation itself. The California Legislature’s SB-11 bill-status page tracks a later proposal, not a ruling on the Sky dispute.
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