Scarlett Johansson’s legal team confirmed they’d be taking legal action against an AI app that used her likeness without permission.
The actress was featured in a 22-second ad posted on X by the artificial intelligence image-generating app, Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar. The ad was seen on October 28 but is no longer being promoted, per Variety.
The outlet noted that the ad showed an old clip of Johansson in a behind-the-scenes clip from Marvel’s “Black Widow.” The actress can be heard saying, “What’s up guys? It’s Scarlett and I want you to come with me…”
Then, a graphic covers Johansson’s mouth as the screen morphs into AI-generated photos meant to look like her. The ad next portrays an AI version of the actress’s voice, which says, “It’s not limited to avatars only. You can also create images with texts and even your AI videos. I think you shouldn’t miss it.”
The ad included fine print that said, “Images produced by Lisa AI. It has nothing to do with this person.”
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Representatives for the actress confirmed to Variety that Johansson did not give the app creators permission to use her likeness. Johansson’s attorney, Kevin Yorn, said they are pursuing legal action.
“We do not take these things lightly. Per our usual course of action in these circumstances, we will deal with it with all legal remedies that we will have,” Yorn told the outlet.
The use of AI in the entertainment industry has been top of mind for some time now and was a key negotiating point during both the recent WGA strike and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors union strike. Celebrities are prime targets for unlawful use of their images.
In October, Tom Hanks warned fans, saying he never agreed for a company on Instagram to use his likeness to promote dental plans.
“BEWARE!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it,” Hanks wrote on the social media platform. He accompanied his message with the AI-generated photo of himself, as The Daily Wire previously reported.