American actress Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against the developers of artificial intelligence applications for unauthorized use of her voice and face in online advertising. The ad promoted an artificial intelligence image editor called Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar and featured Johansson’s AI-generated voice. Details brought to you by Variety.
The twenty-two-second advertising spot has been appearing on the social network X (formerly Twitter) since at least October 28. After the actress’s lawyer Kevin Yorn became interested in the whole thing, the ad disappeared from the Internet. “We don’t take these things lightly. Under these circumstances, we will pursue this through all legal means available to us.” stated Yorn.
Advertising against the rules
The ad opened with an old shot of Johansson on the set of Marvel’s Black Widow. In it, the actress actually says: “How are you guys? This is Scarlett and I want you to come with me…”. Subsequently, the graphic will cover it and the image will go to photos generated by artificial intelligence that resemble the actress.
A fake voice impersonating Johansson then continues to speak and promote the app. “It’s not just limited to avatars. You can also create images with texts, and even your own videos with artificial intelligence. I don’t think you should miss it,” says a voice that sounds like Johansson. Below the ad is the following in small print: “Images created by Lisa AI. He has nothing to do with this person.”
Johansson has one of the most recognizable faces (and voices) in Hollywood—she’s the face of luxury brands like Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton, among others. The idea of using artificial intelligence to steal celebrity likenesses is a relatively new phenomenon, so the legal implications are still being worked out. Celebrities can sue for the use of their name and likeness without consent, but most such cases are resolved by seeking an injunction.
Fraudulent ads will increase
Although this is still a legal gray area, some states already have related laws regarding the right to privacy. For example, California specifically defines civil liability for someone’s unauthorized use “name, voice, signature, photograph or likeness” for the purpose of advertising or promotion.
Johansson she is not the only actress whose name and image have been stolen and manipulated for advertising purposes. In October, Tom Hanks took to social media to warn his fans about a dental ad featuring an AI version of the actor. “Watch out! … I have nothing to do with that,” Hanks wrote on his Instagram.
As artificial intelligence becomes more and more readily available, we are sure to see more cases like this in the future. Already today, musicians struggle with voice cloning, which can make it seem like Drake is releasing a new single or Johnny Cash is singing a cover of a Taylor Swift song. This will almost certainly increase the number of abuses for advertising and promotional purposes.
2023-11-04 15:45:12
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