Scarlett Johansson has spent her entire career dodging Hollywood drama like Neo dodges bullets in The Matrix. Whether it’s fending off intrusive paparazzi, dodging weird rumors, or dealing with the occasional Avengers press tour madness, she’s seen it all. But even she couldn’t sidestep the latest curveball, AI tech trying to clone her voice and likeness without so much as a pretty please. And let’s just say, ScarJo was not having it.
Picture this, one day, you wake up, grab a coffee, and discover that a company has basically created a digital version of your voice without your permission. And not just any company, OpenAI, the folks behind ChatGPT, the thing that’s probably already helped people fake their way through a work email or two.
Naturally, Johansson was furious. This wasn’t just about her voice, it was about the bigger picture. If an A-list star like her could be digitally duplicated, what’s stopping AI from hijacking anyone’s identity? Exactly.
Scarlett Johansson vs. AI
Remember when Scarlett Johansson’s voice practically became an AI love interest in Her? Yeah, well, she never signed up to be a real-life AI girlfriend. So, when OpenAI released a chatbot voice that sounded eerily like hers, Johansson went full Black Widow mode. She lawyered up and demanded answers. OpenAI had to backtrack faster than a Marvel villain realizing they underestimated the Avengers.
To be clear, Johansson had already turned down OpenAI’s request to use her voice. Yet, somehow, a voice that bore a stunning resemblance to hers ended up being used anyway. Coincidence? She wasn’t buying it. In an interview (via InStyle), she said,
My therapist always says, that’s the second time I’ve mentioned my therapist, ‘We’re always more human than otherwise.’ Particularly with the A.I. piece. It was like, If that can happen to me, how are we going to protect ourselves from this? There’s no boundary here, we’re setting ourselves up to be taken advantage of.
Now, she’s looking at the bigger picture. And honestly? She’s got a point. If Scarlett Johansson can get digitally duped, what hope do the rest of us have? And what does OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have to say about this? He simply tweets, “her.” Given the context, it felt like either an inside joke or a confession. Either way, Johansson wasn’t laughing and neither should we.
Insta-Who? Why Scarlett Johansson is still a social media hermit
While many celebrities treat Instagram like their personal diary, Scarlett Johansson has chosen to sit this one out. Not because she’s too cool for it, okay, maybe a little, but mostly because she values her sanity.
In a refreshingly honest moment, Johansson admitted she tried Instagram for three whole days before noping out. Why? Because she caught herself spiraling down a rabbit hole, stalking some random influencer’s vacation photos and feeling bad about missing out on a stranger’s trip to Ibiza. On The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast, she said,
I felt so bad, like I was missing out on this random person’s life. My ego is too fragile. I can’t deal with it. My brain is too fragile, I’m like a delicate flower. I have enough anxiety.
And despite studios practically begging her to get online, she refuses to cave. Even when they told her an Instagram presence would help promote her upcoming Jurassic World film, she stood her ground. Honestly, the dinosaurs can do the marketing, Johansson’s got better things to do, like, you know, protecting humanity from rogue AI.
So, whether she’s battling sketchy AI impersonations or resisting the siren call of social media, Scarlett Johansson remains the queen of not letting anyone mess with her. And honestly? We respect her for it.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
