Sky / Scarlett Johansson voice-likeness threat
OpenAI Voice Actor Cohort — Threatened 'Sky' Voice Likeness Claims (no filing)
(threatened — no filed case) · Public legal threat by Scarlett Johansson re: OpenAI 'Sky' voice (May 2024)
- Status
- Status unknown
- Took effect
- May 20, 2024
- Applies to
- AI voice and generative-audio platforms
Scarlett Johansson publicly threatened legal action against OpenAI in May 2024 after the company released a 'Sky' voice for GPT-4o that closely resembled hers — after she had declined to license her voice. OpenAI withdrew the voice. No lawsuit was filed, but the episode became a touchstone for voice-likeness AI right-of-publicity policy debates and shaped the NO FAKES Act.
Who is protected: Recording artists, voice actors, and other performers vis-à-vis AI voice cloning
Legal detail
Public legal threat by Scarlett Johansson, May 20, 2024, asserting Cal. Civ. Code § 3344 / Lanham Act § 43(a) right-of-publicity and false endorsement claims. OpenAI 'paused' the Sky voice. No public docket; relevant for tracking voice-likeness AI policy and the NO FAKES Act path.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | (threatened — no filed case) |
|---|---|
| Level | Federal |
| Citation | Public legal threat by Scarlett Johansson re: OpenAI 'Sky' voice (May 2024) |
| Topics | deepfakes · consumer protection |
| News report | OpenAI Pulls 'Sky' Voice After Scarlett Johansson Comment — NPR |
Related deepfakes rules elsewhere
- Arkansas Frank Broyles Act AI amendment — voice and likeness protection (2025) · In effect
- Doe v. X.AI (Grok NCII deepfakes class action) · Blocked / in litigation
- xAI v. Harwood (Grok NCII Counter-Suit 2026) · Blocked / in litigation
- Arizona HB 2133 deepfake sexual content — vetoed 2026 · Vetoed
- Arizona HB 2678 — AI-generated CSAM criminalized · In effect
- MN HF 1606 AI Nudification Ban (2026) · In effect
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