Nancy Mace invites Scarlett Johansson to testify on OpenAI’s ChatGPT assistant ‘Sky’

A House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee is aiming to give a star-studded boost to the conversation surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes, extending an invitation to actor Scarlett Johansson to testify at an upcoming hearing. 

The “Black Widow” star has been invited to testify at a House Oversight Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation hearing on July 9.

According to a letter from the subcommittee’s chair, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), the hearing would “provide a platform” for Johansson to “share [her] concerns” with Congress and “inform the broader public debate concerning deepfakes.”

“The hearing will address the broader issues surrounding the uses and abuses of deepfake technology,” Mace’s office said in a statement.

Last month, 39-year-old Johansson said she was “shocked” and “angry” after ChatGPT released its voiced artificial intelligence assistant, “Sky,” which she said sounded “eerily similar” to her voice. 

In a statement, Johansson said she had previously declined an invitation from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to voice an AI assistant for the company. 

“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” the “Her” star said in a statement to The Hill in May.

OpenAI denied that its Sky voice was meant to mimic the Oscar-nominated performer.

A source close to Johansson told ITK on Monday that the actor would be out of the country on the scheduled date of the House subcommittee hearing in July and unavailable to attend.