Associated Incidents
Scarlett Johansson spoke out against a new AI-generated video that used her fake likeness, as well as the fake likenesses of other prominent Jewish celebrities, to criticize Kanye West over his latest string of antisemitic remarks.
Along with Johansson, the video features deepfakes of Drake, Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Adam Sandler, Simon and Garfunkel, Lisa Kudrow, and Woody Allen. All are are wearing a T-shirt with a hand holding up a middle finger with “Kanye” written beneath.
Johansson, who has been an outspoken critic of AI-generated deepfakes, slammed the visual in a statement shared with People. While Johansson stated plainly that she has “no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech,” her main focus was what she called “the misuse of AI, no matter what it’s messaging.”
The actress continued, “I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”
The creators of the clip — Ori Bejerano, a self-described “Generative AI Expert” who works at a marketing agency in Tel Aviv, and Guy Bar, founder of an AI tech hub called Elevaitor — reportedly did not obtain the permission of any celebrity shown in the clip. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post published today (Feb. 12), Bar said they had not yet heard from anybody’s representative, either.
Bejerano did not immediately return a request for comment on Johansson’s statement.
Johansson, for her part, also noted the other times she was “a very public victim of AI.” That includes an incident last year where OpenAI appeared to use a voice similar to hers for ChatGPT 4.0. Johansson said she’d previously received an offer from ChatGPT to use her voice, which she declined.
“There is a 1000-foot wave coming regarding AI that several progressive countries, not including the United States, have responded to in a responsible manner,” Johansson said. “It is terrifying that the U.S. government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of AI. I urge the U.S. government to make the passing of legislation limiting AI use a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”