‘We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging’: Scarlett Johansson opens up on AI and antisemitism
The recent wave of antisemitism propped up by Kanye West’s posts on X has led to extreme pushback for the former rapper. While we should fight back against West’s “Nazi” claims, one Avengers isn’t here for the AI approach as a response.
A video was made that featured Jewish actors wearing shirts with the Star of David on them, all criticizing West’s tweets and the video ends with a message of “Enough is enough.” The issue is that none of the celebrities featured signed off on it or put themselves in the video. It was AI created. The video includes Drake, Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Black, Mila Kunis and Lenny Kravitz. It ends with an AI version of Adam Sandler.
Johansson, who appears at the start of the video holding a middle finger up, has been the victim of AI in the past with her voice being manipulated without her consent. Now, Johansson is speaking out about the West video.
She stated that it doesn’t matter what the messaging is or if she agrees with it, the video is not real and that is where her issue lies. She released a statement, saying: “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.”
Johansson went on to talk about the dangers of AI, saying “I have unfortunately been a very public victim of AI but the truth is that the threat of AI affects each and every one of us. 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. 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.”
It is a dangerous downward slope when we let AI take over
Johansson’s statement is level and correct. Even if the messaging is something she agreed with, she did not sign up to be in that video. That was not her and her likeness was used without her consent. If that had gotten out of hand without her knowing and it had a negative impact on her career, it’d all be out of her control and she had nothing to do with it.
In the past, Johansson has fought against the use of AI. The voice of Sky for ChatGPT sounded eerily similar to Johansson, probably referencing her role in the Spike Jonze movie Her. Johansson did not sign off for her voice to be used and, at the time, pushed back.
“In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected,” she said at the time.
She is right. It doesn’t matter the messaging, AI should not be used for things like this and I’m glad she’s speaking out about it.
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