Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson takes legal action against unauthorised use of her image in AI app
Prior to her most recent lawsuit, Scarlett Johansson has already addressed misuse of her picture in 'deepfake' technology back in 2018.
Highlights
- Scarlett Johansson initiates legal proceedings over the unauthorised use of her image in AI app
- Lisa AI is the app that used real video of Johansson to generate fake content
- In 2018, Scarlett spoke out about the use of her image in ‘deepfakes’
Scarlett Johansson, a famous Hollywood actress, has taken legal action against an AI app that used her name and likeness in an AI-generated advertisement without her permission.
The app, known as Lisa AI: 90’s Yearbook & Avatar, posted a 22-second ad on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which used real footage of Johansson to create a fake image and dialogue for her. This raised concerns about the unauthorised use of celebrities' images in AI-generated content.
Johansson's response
Representatives for the 38-year-old actor confirmed that she is not associated with the app and expressed their serious concerns.
"We do not take these things lightly. Per our usual course of action in these circumstances, we will deal with it with all the legal remedies that we have."
Following their response, the ad was taken down, but it has brought attention to a broader issue of AI misuse.
Similar incidents & concerns
Scarlett Johansson is not the only celebrity who has had her image misused by AI. Tom Hanks, another well-known actor, recently warned his fans about a dental plan that used an AI-generated image of him in a promotional video. This highlights a growing problem where AI-generated content misrepresents celebrities without their consent.
Additionally, several authors, including comedian Sarah Silverman, have taken legal action against AI models like ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI and Meta (Facebook's parent company), for alleged copyright infringement. They claim that their work was used to train AI models without their consent.
Ongoing issue
Scarlett Johansson's recent experience is not the first time her image has been used without her consent. In 2018, she spoke out about the use of her image in ‘deepfakes,’ a technology that superimposes faces onto different bodies in videos. This situation underscores the challenges of controlling the use of one's image and content on the internet, as it often operates without clear rules or regulations, even for celebrities.
The case of Scarlett Johansson's image being used without permission in an AI-generated advertisement highlights the ongoing concerns surrounding the unauthorised use of celebrities' likenesses in AI content.
