Scarlett Johansson has taken legal action against an artificial intelligence app developer for unauthorized use of her voice and likeness in an advertisement. The dispute centers on a 22-second commercial produced by Convert Software for their AI image editor, Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar. This ad utilized Johansson’s real video footage from behind the scenes of a Black Widow shoot and an AI-generated voice strikingly similar to hers, promoting the app's capabilities.
The ad, which has since been taken down, featured Johansson's AI-generated voice saying, “It’s not limited to avatars only. You can also create images with texts and even your AI videos. I think you shouldn’t miss it.” The advertisement contained a disclaimer stating, “Images produced by Lisa AI. It has nothing to do with this person,” which Johansson’s legal team deemed insufficient and misleading.
Johansson’s lawyer, Kevin Yorn, emphasized that the actor had no affiliation with the app or its developer and that they would pursue all available legal remedies to address this unauthorized use. Johansson's representatives confirmed that they were unaware of the ad until it was brought to their attention, prompting immediate legal action to remove it and seek redress for the unauthorized use of her voice and likeness.
The rise of AI-generated content has increasingly led to legal disputes involving celebrities. Tom Hanks recently warned his followers about a dental plan advertisement using an AI-generated image of him without his consent, highlighting the broader issue of unauthorized AI-generated celebrity endorsements. Similarly, comedian Sarah Silverman has sued OpenAI and Meta over copyright infringement, claiming their AI models were trained using her work without permission.
These cases underscore the growing challenges in protecting intellectual property and personal likeness in the age of AI, setting the stage for potentially precedent-setting legal battles over the use of AI in media and advertising.
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