OpenAI's Voice Mode has become one of the most beloved features in ChatGPT, with each of the five distinct voices carefully selected through an extensive five-month process involving professional voice actors, talent agencies, casting directors, and industry advisors. According to
CNBC, Scarlett Johansson said Altman approached her last September and then again two days before it announced ChatGPT-4o on May 13. Johansson played the voice character in the film “Her” about a man who forms a relationship with a virtual artificial intelligence named Samantha.
After much consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the offer. Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named ‘Sky’ sounded like me.
Here is what Joanne Jang, model behavior lead at OpenAI, said: "We’ve been in conversations with ScarJo’s team because there seems to be some confusion. We want to take the feedback seriously and hear out the concerns"
Supporting the Creative Community
OpenAI supports the creative community and collaborated closely with the voice acting industry to ensure the right steps were taken in casting ChatGPT's voices. Each actor receives compensation above top-of-market rates, which will continue for as long as their voices are used in OpenAI's products.
OpenAI also mentioned that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice. For example, Sky's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice. To protect their privacy, OpenAI cannot share the names of the voice talents.
Partnering with Industry Experts
In early 2023, OpenAI partnered with independent, well-known, award-winning casting directors and producers to identify the voice actors. Together, they created a set of criteria for ChatGPT's voices, carefully considering the unique personality of each voice and their appeal to global audiences. Some of these characteristics included:
- Actors from diverse backgrounds or who could speak multiple languages
- A voice that feels timeless
- An approachable voice that inspires trust
- A warm, engaging, confidence-inspiring, charismatic voice with rich tone
- Natural and easy to listen to
Overwhelming Response from Voice and Screen Actors
In May 2023, the casting agency and casting directors issued a call for talent, receiving over 400 submissions from voice and screen actors in under a week. Actors were given a script of ChatGPT responses and asked to record them, ranging from answering questions about mindfulness to brainstorming travel plans and engaging in conversations about a user's day.
Selecting the Perfect Voices
Through May 2023, the casting team independently reviewed and hand-selected an initial list of 14 actors before further refining their list and presenting their top voices to OpenAI.
OpenAI spoke with each actor about the vision for human-AI voice interactions, discussing the technology's capabilities, limitations, risks involved, and safeguards implemented. It was crucial that each actor understood the scope and intentions of Voice Mode before committing to the project.
An internal team at OpenAI reviewed the voices from a product and research perspective, and after careful consideration, the voices for Breeze, Cove, Ember, Juniper, and Sky were finally selected.
Recording Sessions and Launch
During June and July, the actors flew to San Francisco for recording sessions and in-person meetings with the OpenAI product and research teams. On September 25, 2023, their voices were launched into ChatGPT.
This entire process involved extensive coordination with the actors and the casting team, taking place over five months. OpenAI collaborated with the actors, who have contributed additional work for audio research and new voice capabilities in GPT-4o.
The Future of Voice Mode
OpenAI plans to give access to a new Voice Mode for GPT-4o in alpha to ChatGPT Plus users in the coming weeks. With GPT-4o, using your voice to interact with ChatGPT will be much more natural, as it handles interruptions smoothly, manages group conversations effectively, filters out background noise, and adapts to tone. Looking ahead, users can expect even more options as OpenAI plans to introduce additional voices in ChatGPT to better match the diverse interests and preferences of users.
Here is Scarlett Johansson’s full statement from CNBC
“Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system. He told me that he felt that by my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers to feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and AI. He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people.
After much consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the offer. Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named “Sky” sounded like me.
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. Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word “her” - a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.
Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent, asking me to reconsider. Before we could connect, the system was out there
As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAI, setting out what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the “Sky” voice. Consequently, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to take down the “Sky” voice.
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. 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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