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OpenAI Apologises To Johansson, Denies Voice Based On Her

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OpenAI chief Sam Altman apologized Tuesday to Scarlett Johansson after the movie star said she was “shocked” by a new synthetic voice released by the ChatGPT-maker, but he insisted the voice was not based on hers.

 

At issue is “Sky,” a voice OpenAI featured last week in the release of its more humanlike GPT-4o artificial intelligence technology.

 

 

In a demo, Sky was at times flirtatious and funny, seamlessly jumping from one topic to the next, unlike most existing chatbots.

 

The technology — and sound of the voice — quickly drew similarities to the Johansson-voiced AI character in the 2013 film “Her.”

 

Altman has previously pointed to the Spike Jonze-directed movie — a cautionary tale about the future in which a man falls in love with an AI chatbot — as inspiration for where he would like AI interactions to go.

 

He furthered speculation last week with a single-word post on X, formerly Twitter, saying “her.”

 

 

“The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to resemble hers,” Altman said in a statement on Tuesday in a response to the controversy.

“We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson.

 

“Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”

 

The statement came after Johansson on Monday expressed outrage, saying she was “shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets couldn’t tell the difference.”

 

She said Altman had offered in September to hire her to work with OpenAI to create a synthetic voice, saying it might help people engaging with AI, but she declined.

 

Risk team disbanded

 

In a blogpost, the company explained that it began working to cast the voice actors in early 2023, “carefully considering the unique personality of each voice and their appeal to global audiences.”

Some of the characteristics sought were “a voice that feel timeless” and “an approachable voice that inspires trust,” the company said.

 

The five final actors were flown to San Francisco to record in June and July, it said, with their voices launched into ChatGPT last September.

 

“To protect their privacy, we cannot share the names of our voice talents,” OpenAI said.

 

“We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity’s distinctive voice.”

 

So far in the AI frenzy, most tech giants have been reluctant to overly humanize chatbots and some observers expressed concern that OpenAI’s demo last week had gone too far.

 

Microsoft Vice President Yusuf Mehdi cautioned that AI “should not be human.”

 

“It shouldn’t breathe. You should be able to…understand (it) is AI,” he told AFP.

 

The Johansson dispute came just days after OpenAI admitted it disbanded a team devoted to mitigating the long-term dangers of artificial intelligence.

 

OpenAI began dissolving the so-called “superalignment” group weeks ago, integrating members into other projects and research.

 

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Tinubu Doesn’t Trust Me – Cubana Chief Priest

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Socialite and businessman Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not fully trust him because of his previous support for Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election.

 

The celebrity barman made the remarks during a livestream session with popular streamer Peller in a video that surfaced online on Wednesday.

Speaking partly in pidgin English, Cubana Chief Priest said the president still views him with suspicion because he openly backed Obi and the Labour Party in the last election.

“President Bola Tinubu no really trust me as an Igbo man that I am. He look me with one eye because he believes that this one that worked for Peter Obi before at the last election,” he said.

The businessman, who currently serves as the Imo State Coordinator of the Pro-Tinubu City Boys Movement, explained that he later switched allegiance because he did not want to remain on the losing side politically.

Asked why he abandoned Obi’s camp, he replied, “Because I don’t want to lose again because they say first fool no be fool, na the second fool be proper fool.”

Cubana Chief Priest was among prominent entertainers who openly campaigned for Obi and the Labour Party before the 2023 elections. He has since aligned himself with the ruling All Progressives Congress and President Tinubu.

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Erling Haaland Makes Acting Debut In Animated Film 

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Erling Haaland will follow in the footsteps of David Beckham and Vinnie Jones by taking his first steps into the acting world, with the Norwegian striker set to make his film debut.

 

The Manchester City striker will voice a character described as ‘an animated version of himself’, in the upcoming animated film Viqueens.

This is according to the Hollywood Reporter, who say that the 25-year-old is playing a Viking called Haaland in the motion picture.

The adventure-comedy is directed and co-written by the award-winning Harald Zwart, the Norwegian director known for The Karate Kid and Agent Cody Banks.

‘As a Norwegian storyteller making a Viking adventure for a global audience, having Erling Haaland join feels incredibly exciting,’ said Zwart.

‘Erling has already become a kind of real-life Viking icon around the world – powerful, fearless and uniquely Norwegian.

‘Bringing him into this universe as himself gives the film an unexpected energy and authenticity that felt completely right for this story.’

Solveig Langeland, managing director of Sola Media, added: ‘Erling Haaland transcends sports – he’s a global cultural figure.

‘His involvement brings another exciting dimension to a film that already combines international adventure, humour, and emotional storytelling in a way we believe will resonate with audiences everywhere.’

He follows the likes of Beckham and Jones, who have already hit the cinema screens around the country.

Beckham made his silver screen debut in his pal Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur back in 2017 alongside film stars Charlie Hunnam and Eric Bana, playing hardened battleguard Trigger in the flick.

Meanwhile, Jones is known for portraying gangsters on screen, and as recently as 2024 played gamekeeper Geoff in Ritchie’s series The Gentlemen, featuring Theo James.

He famously also played Coach Dinklage in She’s the Man, and was The Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand.

Haaland may need a while before he becomes the big actor that Jones has become, though, with plenty of years on the pitch still ahead of him.

The striker’s focus will currently be on winning the Premier League with Manchester City, as they look to hunt down Arsenal, who are two points ahead at the top, with two games to go.

Haaland will next be in action on Tuesday night as they travel to Bournemouth.

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I Don’t Want To Die Because Of A Woman– Frank Edoho

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Popular television host Frank Edoho has opened up about his deepest personal fear, saying he does not want to die because of emotional pain caused by a woman.

 

Edoho made the revelation during an interview on the YouTube channel Outside The Box, released on Saturday, where he reflected on male vulnerability, silent struggles and how he hopes to be remembered.

“I don’t want to go to the gates of heaven and they ask me what killed me and they say it’s a woman. Whether that woman be my daughter, my wife, my mother, I don’t want that. I don’t want that to be my way out of this portal,” he said.

The broadcaster, best known for hosting the Nigerian edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, said he hopes to leave the world having made a positive impact on others.

“I want to die with a smile on my face saying that all the people I met, I tried to put a smile on their face, and to have the only regret that I wish I did more good. Not that I wish I had more time, that’s all,” he said.

Frank Edoho also spoke about the pressures men face and the tendency to endure emotional pain without seeking help.

“The task of manhood is very daunting. Men don’t speak. Men go through a lot. Whatever a man is going through, he’s just silent. He doesn’t say it. He holds it to himself. And some of them go to the grave with it. Too many, actually,” he said.

He disclosed that he went through a difficult personal period for two years without telling anyone.

According to Edoho, his years in broadcasting taught him how to hide personal struggles while maintaining a calm appearance on air.

“For two years, there was a couple of years back I was in a very dark hole but nobody knew. I couldn’t call you guys. I just said, you know what, this is a journey I have to make on myself to reorganise myself. And I’m happy I did. But at the time, I thought that the walls were caving in,” he said.

“Broadcasting taught me how to have a poker face. No matter what you’re going through, when it’s time to go on air, ‘Hi, good evening, welcome, I hope you’re having a nice time’, the only reason you’re not there is that you’re dead. If you’re alive, it doesn’t matter what you’re going through, you have to be there doing just that.

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