OpenAI has started releasing a preliminary version of its voice assistant to select paid subscribers, following a delay prompted by safety concerns and backlash over a previous voice option. The initial rollout, which began on Tuesday, is part of an “alpha” release and will eventually be extended to all GPT-Plus users by this fall.
The company initially planned to launch the voice assistant in late June but postponed it to July to ensure it met the “launch standard.” This decision came after a demonstration in May where one of the voice options, named “Sky,” drew criticism for closely resembling the voice of actress Scarlett Johansson.
The similarity between Sky and Johansson's voice, which notably echoed the AI interface from the 2013 film "Her," was widely criticized, particularly after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted “her” on the announcement day of ChatGPT-4o and its voice assistant. Johansson, upon discovering the resemblance, expressed her shock and hired legal counsel, leading to an apology from Altman. OpenAI later clarified that Sky's voice belonged to a different professional actress and emphasized that the resemblance was unintentional.
In response to the controversy, OpenAI has made several updates. The new version of the voice assistant does not include Sky and incorporates additional privacy features to prevent the assistant from mimicking specific individuals' voices and to block requests for generating copyrighted materials.
OpenAI first introduced ChatGPT in November 2022, and the product has seen several updates since. The voice assistant feature was initially showcased in May, demonstrating its ability to understand and respond to user speech prompts.
While OpenAI has not disclosed the identity of the voice behind Sky, the company has stated that it worked with top industry professionals to select from over 400 voice submissions. They plan to introduce more voice options in the future.
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Altman, who has an estimated net worth of $1 billion, did not accrue this wealth from his role at OpenAI, as he holds no equity in the company. His fortune stems from investments in notable ventures such as Reddit, fintech company Stripe, and nuclear fusion company Helion. Altman previously founded social mapping company Loopt and served as president at startup accelerator Y Combinator before launching OpenAI.
