Scarlett Johansson has taken legal action against an AI app that used her name and AI-generated likeness in an online ad without permission. He writes a variety.
The American actress appeared as one of her most famous characters, Black Widow from the Marvel films, in a 22-second advertisement for Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar, an artificial intelligence-based image generation application distributed on X (formerly Twitter). The ad first appeared on October 28 and has since disappeared from the internet.
Johansson’s legal representative confirmed to Variety that the actress is not the face of the application’s advertisement, and that her likeness appeared in the advertisement without her permission, so legal measures are being taken.
“We do not take these matters lightly. In such cases, in accordance with our usual procedures, we will use all legal remedies,” the actress’ representative, Kevin Yorn, told the newspaper.
Although the trailer is no longer available, Variety describes it as starting with an old shot of Johansson behind the scenes of Black Widow (which Marvel previously used to promote the film, It can be viewed here). In this shot, the actress says: “Hey guys, Mizo? I am Scarlett and I would like you to come with me…”, after which the image turns into images generated by artificial intelligence, through which the shapes of the actress can be seen, and the narration that imitates Johansson’s voice is also created with the help of artificial intelligence. He continues: “The application is not limited to On avatars only. You can also create images with text, and even videos with AI! “I don’t think you should miss it.”
Underneath the ad was a warning: “Photos were taken by Lisa AI and have no relation to the real person.”
Incidentally, the app is still available, and its makers did not respond to Variety’s inquiry.
Scarlett Johansson isn’t the only Hollywood star to have had trouble with artificial intelligence. At the beginning of October, an AI version of Tom Hanks was used in a dental insurance ad — also without the actor’s permission.
Concern about “Actors vs. the United States” culminated in an actors’ strike over the summer — a months-long dispute centered on legal uncertainties surrounding the use of artificial intelligence as well as wages. We wrote more about the Hollywood actors’ strike in this article. Screenwriters recently reached an agreement with studios on artificial intelligence after months of strike: The Writers Guild of America approved an agreement with the Motion Picture and Television Association that limits the use of artificial intelligence in film and television.
AI-generated ads exploiting celebrities’ images have been on the rise in recent months precisely because, according to strict strike rules, most Hollywood stars don’t even participate in ads — and the best way to sell products is under their names.
The power with which artificial intelligence has invaded our lives can be clearly indicated by the fact that the British Collins Dictionary chose it as the most important word of the year.
