Scarlett Johansson is taking legal action as AI app cloned her likeness

Scarlett Johansson, star of The Avengers and more, has taken the AI app, Lisa AI, to legal task as it was found they cloned her likeness without consent.

As the world still wrestles with the impending confusion artificial intelligence, AI, is causing, none are more aware than actors. After the WGA Strike surrounding protections from AI, Scarlett Johansson has become one of the first celebrities to slap an AI app with legal action.

Johansson, best known for her role in Marvel movies as Black Widow, has struck out against Lisa AI. The app is known for image generation, similar to DALL-E, but with an emphasis on creating around your face. It has also latched onto the yearbook trend, where it’d turn an image of yourself into something from an old-school American yearbook.

The legal action has come after Lisa AI used clips of Johansson behind the scenes of Black Widow, and then faked as if she was a spokesperson through emulating her voice. To get around the lack of permission, Lisa AI used a small disclaimer stating:

“Images produced by Lisa AI. It has nothing to do with this person.”

The advert has since been scrubbed from the internet.

Johansson isn’t the only victim of celebrity AI voice cloning

Sony Pictures

Cloning voices through AI isn’t new, as Tom Hanks has been embroiled in non-legal action against a dental plan. The advert used Hanks’ likeness, again without permission, to promote it. Hanks had to take to social media to distance himself from the company.

Drake is also a major name caught up in the AI escapades. After an AI clone collaboration between The Weeknd and Drake went viral, it was also submitted to the Grammys for consideration for an award. As it turns out, no one singing on the track was involved in its creation.

Outside the world of celebrities, AI has now become a tactic for scammers to replicate the voices of relatives or friends. One person has even managed to manipulate people via Reddit through AI-generated images of a woman.