Scarlett Johansson Takes Legal Action Against A.I.-Generated Ad Using Her Voice

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read
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Scarlett Johansson’s disembodied voice is back onscreen, but it’s not a sequel to Spike Jonze’s “Her.”

Johansson instead is mimicked using AI technology for an ad for the app Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar. The actress is now taking legal action against the AI app for using her name and likeness in the marketing campaign.

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The ad, which was shared on Twitter October 28 before being taken down, uses a clip of Johansson behind the scenes on “Black Widow” saying, “What’s up guys? It’s Scarlett and I want you to come with me…” A voice then imitates Johansson with, “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 ad includes the note, “Images produced by Lisa AI. It has nothing to do with this person.”

Johansson’s attorney Kevin Yorn confirmed that Johansson is not a spokesperson for the app and that the clip was used without her consent.

“We do not take these things lightly. Per our usual course of action in these circumstances, we will deal with it with all legal remedies that we will have,” Yorn said in a statement to Variety.

Similarly, Tom Hanks warned fans earlier this year that a dental plan ad was not him. “Beware! I have nothing to do with it,” Hanks wrote on Instagram.

Hanks addressed the rise of AI in Hollywood, saying, “I can tell you that there [are] discussions going on in all of the guilds, all of the agencies, and all of the legal firms in order to come up with the legal ramifications of my face and my voice — and everybody else’s — being our intellectual property.”

He continued, “What is a bona fide possibility right now, if I wanted to, I could get together and pitch a series of seven movies that would star me in them in which I would be 32 years old from now until kingdom come,” Hanks said. “Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are, by way of A.I. or deep fake technology…I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but my performances can go on and on and on. Outside of the understanding that it’s been done by A.I. or deep fake, there’ll be nothing to tell you that it’s not me and me alone, and it’s going to have some degree of lifelike quality.”

The use of AI onscreen is at the center of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike with the AMPTP.

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