Scarlett Johansson is calling on the US lawmakers to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), following the spread of an unauthorised, AI-generated video featuring her and other Jewish people, including a bunch of tech CEOs and executives.
What is the AI video that Scarlett Johansson has slammed
The video, which has gone viral on social media, begins with an AI-generated version of the actress, wearing a white T-shirt depicting a hand with the middle finger extended. The Star of David is displayed in the center of the hand, and the name “Kanye” appears below.
The video also includes AI-generated versions of Facebook co-founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin as well as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
The video also shows nearly a dozen Jewish celebrities, such as Drake, Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg, Jack Black, Mila Kunis and Lenny Kravitz. It concludes with an AI-generated Adam Sandler giving the middle finger to the camera as the Jewish folk song “Hava Nagila” plays.
The caption accompanying the AI-generated video starters with “F**k you Kanye West” (translated from Hebrew).
What Scarlett Johansson said about the AI video
In a statement to PEOPLE, Johansson said that the video is a “misuse of AI, no matter what its messaging.”
“It has been brought to my attention by family members and friends, that an AI-generated video featuring my likeness, in response to an antisemitic view, has been circulating online and gaining traction. 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,” she added,
“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,” she added.
“I urge the US government to make the passing of legislation limiting AI use a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large,” the statement concluded.
Why the AI-generated video was made
The video is apparently in response to Ye (formerly Kanye West) who sparked controversy during Super Bowl on Sunday (February 9), with an advertisement directing viewers to his Yeezy website (now offline). The site was selling t-shirts featuring swastikas and the product code “HH,” an abbreviation commonly associated with a Nazi salute.
Following the ad and a series of offensive posts containing slurs on X (formerly Twitter), West was dropped by his talent agency.