Scarlett Johansson Speaks Out Against AI-Generated Anti-Kanye West Video: ‘The Potential for Hate Speech Multiplied by AI Is a Far Greater Threat’

Scarlett Johansson might agree in theory with the messaging behind a new, viral AI-generated video, but that does not mean she consents for likeness being used in a deepfake.

“Jurassic World: Rebirth” star Johansson, who has been vocal about her stance on AI for years (though provided the literal vocals for an AI program in “Her”), has slammed a recent video in which an AI-generated version of her appears. The digitally created Johansson wears a T-shirt with an illustrated middle finger, the Star of David, and one word — “Kanye” — to protest Kanye West‘s antisemitism. Other Jewish celebrities such as Steven Spielberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, David Schwimmer, and Sacha Baron Cohen are also included in the AI video. IndieWire reached out to those named individuals to ask if any of them consented to the use of their likeness in the viral video. There were numerous other celebrities depicted in the video, seemingly all through the nonconsensual use of their likeness.

Johansson addressed the video in an interview, telling People that the “potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it.”

“It has been brought to my attention by family members and friends, that an AI-generated video featuring my likeness, in response to an antisemitic view, has been circulating online and gaining traction. I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind,” Johansson said. “But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”

The video was posted to X by Ori Bejerano along with this message: “F*** You, Kanye West. In recent days, Kanye West has once again crossed every possible red line. The man who previously declared “I am a Nazi”, praised Hitler, and spread antisemitic conspiracy theories, used one of the biggest stages in the world — a Super Bowl commercial broadcast — to spread antisemitism and hate.”

His extended message, which does not disclose the use of AI in the video, can be found in the original posting.

An AI-generated Scarlett Johansson

Johansson previously said that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tried to hire her to use her voice for the current ChatGPT 4.0 system, but she declined. After the launch of “Sky,” which resembled her voice, Johansson hired legal counsel to demand more information about how the company created the AI voice model, leading ChatGPT to later “pause” its usage.

“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” Johansson said in a statement shared with IndieWire in May 2024. “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 continued. “I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected.”

In a blog post, OpenAI said that Sky was not a voice model but is the “natural speaking voice” of another unidentified voice actress who was compensated for her voice talents, and that Sky is not an imitation of Johansson’s voice.

“The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson,” Altman said. “Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”

Johansson famously voiced an AI helper in 2013 Joaquin Phoenix film “Her,” which Altman has called his favorite movie.

SAG-AFTRA has supported Johansson speaking out against AI.

“We thank Ms. Johansson for speaking out on this issue of crucial importance to all SAG-AFTRA members. We share in her concerns and fully support her right to have clarity and transparency regarding the voice used in developing the Chat GPT-4o appliance ‘Sky,’” a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said.