Scarlett Johansson has issued a warning regarding the “imminent dangers of AI” in response to the recent virality of a deepfake video featuring her and other prominent Jewish personalities opposing antisemitic remarks made by Kanye West.
More than a dozen luminaries, such as Scarlett Johansson, David Schwimmer, Jerry Seinfeld, Drake, Adam Sandler, Stephen Spielberg, and Mila Kunis, were represented in the video by AI-generated versions.
It commenced with a deepfake image of Scarlett Johansson wearing a T-shirt named Kanye, a Star of David, and an extended hand and middle finger.
The video concluded with the slogan “Enough is enough,” set to an electronic rendition of the Jewish folk song “Hava Nagila,” regularly performed at cultural celebrations. Participate in the campaign against antisemitism.
Scarlett Johansson’s Strong Stance Against Non-Consensual AI Use
Sacha Baron Cohen, Jack Black, Natalie Portman, Adam Levine, Ben Stiller, and Lenny Kravitz were the other celebrities who were depicted.
“I have been informed by family members and friends that an AI-generated video featuring my likeness has been circulating online and gaining traction in response to an antisemitic view.” Scarlett Johansson stated in a statement to People.
“I am a Jewish woman who is intolerant of any form of hate speech or antisemitism.” However, I am also of the firm conviction that the potential for hate speech to be multiplied by AI is a far greater menace than any single individual who is held accountable for it. We must denounce the misuse of AI, regardless of its messaging, or we risk losing our grasp on reality.
Before his account was deactivated, West, who is now known as Ye, frequently referred to himself as a “Nazi” and praised Hitler on X.
Additionally, he was featured in an advertisement during the Super Bowl that directed viewers to his website. He initially sold only one product: T-shirts adorned with swastikas.
Shopify subsequently removed the website due to policy violations. Additionally, Jack Abernethy, the CEO of Fox Television Stations, condemned the advertisement in a memo to his employees.
Scarlett Johansson has been one of the most vocal celebrities against using non-consensual AI. Last year, she threatened legal action against OpenAI after the company used a voice that resembled her own in its new ChatGPT product. This occurred nine months after she informed the company that she had declined their request to voice their AI system.
The voice option extensively promoted by OpenAI was ultimately removed from ChatGPT following a widespread reaction.
Scarlett Johansson stated that she had been “a very public victim of AI; however, the reality is that the threat of AI affects every one of us.”
She further stated, “There is a 1,000-foot wave approaching in the realm of AI, and several progressive nations, with the exception of the United States, have responded in a responsible manner.” The US government’s inability to enact legislation that safeguards all of its citizens from the imminent perils of AI is a source of great concern.
The actor emphasised the importance of elected officials taking legislative action against AI abuses, describing it as a “bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”
Her statements coincide with the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority’s assertion that false advertisements featuring celebrities remain the most prevalent form of online fraud.
According to his Instagram profile, Ori Bejerano is a generative AI expert who produced the AI video. His initial post included a notice indicating that the content was “digitally created or altered with AI to appear real.”
