The ad misusing Johansson’s face and voice has now been seemingly scrubbed from the internet.
She’s one of the first, but she certainly won’t be the last. Scarlett Johansson has taken legal action against an AI app and its parent company for illegally using her name and likeness for their advertisements.
An artificial intelligence image-generating app called Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar posted a 22-second ad featuring Johansson on X/Twitter on October 28, according to Variety—however, the actor’s reps confirmed to the outlet that she is not a spokesperson for the app. They also confirmed that her attorney, Kevin Yorn, was forced to rectify the situation in a legal capacity. Since then, the advertisement has seemingly been completely wiped from the internet, as no trace of it appears to be left.
Variety reviewed the ad before it was scrubbed from the world wide web, and claimed that it began with an old video of Johansson behind the scenes of Marvel’s Black Widow, during which she invites the audience to join her somewhere special. “What’s up guys?” she says in the original clip. “It’s Scarlett and I want you to come with me for the premiere of Black Widow.”
However, in the ad version, a graphic covers her mouth before the “premiere” part, and the screen transitions into AI-generated photos that attempt to capture the actor’s likeness. “It’s not limited to avatars only,” a fake imitation of Johansson’s voice then tells the viewer in the promotion. “You can also create images with texts and even your AI videos. I think you shouldn’t miss it.”
There is fine print on the ad, interestingly enough: “Images produced by Lisa AI. It has nothing to do with this person.” Lisa AI apps are created by Convert Software, and several of the company’s applications are still available for download on the Apple and Google Play stores at the time of publication.
“We do not take these things lightly,” Yorn told Variety in a statement. “Per our usual course of action in these circumstances, we will deal with it with all legal remedies that we will have.”
California is known for its privacy laws and rights, including against the “unauthorized use of one’s ‘name, voice, signature, photograph or likeness’ for the purpose of advertising or promotion,” according to Variety. It’s clear this kind of case is being litigated to set a precedent—as it should, go ScarJo—but often cases involving misuse of a famous person’s likeness are settled with cease and desist papers. It’s great to see her going the extra mile, as we need all hands on deck to curb the uncontrolled growth and unchecked overreach over AI.
This is the second time recently that a celebrity has made headlines through the unlawful use of their name and likeness via AI. In October, Tom Hanks opened up about an ad for a dental plan that employed an AI version of the well-known performer. On his Instagram stories, Hanks warned fans, “Beware! I have nothing to do with it.” Back in September, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin — along with seventeen other writers — sued OpenAI for copyright infringement. The time to resist is now, folks.
