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The OpenAI-Scarlett Johansson drama explained
PLUS Amazon plans to launch smarter Alexa
Jack Shields
May 23, 2024
Welcome back!
Lots of heavy hitters today — and OpenAI could be getting into some serious legal trouble with Scarlett Johansson after allegedly cloning her voice without consent. Let’s go.
In today’s Daily Update:
🗞️ Amazon plans to launch AI-overhauled Alexa
🤖 The OpenAI-Scarlett Johansson drama explained
📸 Nvidia profits skyrocket in Q1
🚨 AI Roundup: Four quick hits
Read time: 2 minutes
TOP STORY
🗞️ Amazon plans to launch AI-overhauled Alexa
DALL-E 3
Amazon plans to announce a smarter version of its Alexa voice assistant powered by generative AI later this year.
What you should know:
The decade-old Alexa assistant will be overhauled with a generative AI model designed to make it more conversational.
Amazon also plans to charge a monthly subscription fee to offset the cost of the tech.
The company hopes the new Alexa will help it compete with OpenAI and Google’s chatbots.
Amazon declined to comment on CNBC’s original report, but it appears that Alexa will be powered by the company’s Titan LLM.
Why it matters: Amazon has quietly lagged behind in the AI race, but this announcement could help turn the tide. Although OpenAI has achieved great success attracting users to its own desktop app, it’s much easier to get consumers to adopt generative AI by integrating it into products they already use. Amazon and Apple look like they’re about to win big later this year.
AI CONTROVERSY
🤖 The OpenAI-Scarlett Johansson drama explained
DALL-E 3
OpenAI is facing serious legal consequences for creating a ChatGPT voice that sounds like Scarlett Johansson according to intellectual property lawyers.
The rundown:
When OpenAI launched GPT-4o last week, users noticed that ChatGPT’s “Sky” female voice option closely resembled the voice of Scarlett Johansson.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman added to the rumors by posting the word “her” on X (seemingly referencing Johansson’s role in the sci-fi movie Her).
The company quickly paused Sky’s voice after news outlets linked the voice to Johansson.
Earlier this week the outraged actress revealed that she declined an offer to license her voice to OpenAI for ChatGPT’s voice mode.
Johansson’s legal team is now demanding that OpenAI disclose how it developed Sky’s voice.
Missing the mark: Altman apparently thought that Johansson’s voice would be “comforting to people” who are nervous about AI technology. Who could’ve guessed that the Sky voice was a bad idea after Johansson declined to license her actual voice to OpenAI? Given the public’s rising concerns over AI deepfakes, this is a big blunder that should be punished in court.
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
📸 Nvidia profits skyrocket in Q1
Source: Eric Risberg/Associated Press
Nvidia’s first quarter earnings in 2024 shattered its Q1 earnings last year as the company continues to dominate the AI chip market.
Key points:
Nvidia’s Q1 net income jumped to $14.88 billion this year from $2.04 billion last year.
The company’s revenue more than tripled to $26.04 billion from $7.19 billion in 2023.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang boldly claimed that “the next industrial revolution has begun.”
Huang predicts that companies buying Nvidia chips will soon begin building new types of data centers which he calls “AI factories.”
Why it matters: Huang has a tendency to be speculative about the future of AI (as the CEO of the chip market leader should be), but Nvidia’s revenue spike is no mistake. Not even halfway into the year, we’re seeing an unprecedented level of investment in AI. The back half of 2024 is shaping up to be a significant stretch for the future of artificial intelligence.
MORE TRENDING NEWS
🚨 AI Roundup: Four quick hits
DALL-E 3
Colorado moves forward with attempt to regulate AI’s hidden role in hiring, housing and medical decisions.
TikTok is turning to generative AI to boost its ads business.
OpenAI reaches licensing deal with News Corp, the media company that owns The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.
Truecaller partners with Microsoft to enable users to create AI voice clones that can answer calls.
THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY