Voice Similar to Scarlett Johansson's "Sky" Temporarily Unavailable in ChatGPT, OpenAI Investigating

OpenAI has recently announced a temporary pause on the use of the "Sky" voice option in ChatGPT's voice mode due to identified issues, prompting a period of review and repair.

"Sky" is one of the five built-in voices in ChatGPT. Users noticed a few hours ago that choosing "Sky" in ChatGPT led to issues, with the system automatically switching to "Juniper" during actual conversations. Reinstalling ChatGPT did not resolve the problem.

While there hasn't been an official response from OpenAI to related feedback posts, the company announced on X/Twitter that the use of the "Sky" voice has been temporarily suspended, urging users to switch to other voice options for now.

Although this issue does not affect the normal use of ChatGPT, and users can continue engaging in conversations, it is a slight disappointment for those fond of the "Sky" voice. There is hope that OpenAI will resolve this issue quickly, rather than leaving "Sky" voice unavailable or removing it for an extended period.

OpenAI also shared insights into the selection process for ChatGPT voices. The company collaborated with renowned casting directors and voice actors in the industry, resulting in over 400 voice submissions. Ultimately, five voices were chosen: Breeze, Cove, Ember, Juniper, and Sky.

The voice of "Sky" bears some resemblance to Scarlett Johansson, but OpenAI emphasized that "Sky" is not an imitation of Johansson’s voice; it is simply "Sky's" natural speaking voice. OpenAI offers compensation to voice contributors at rates above the industry standard and continues to pay as long as their voices are used in OpenAI products.

Lastly, names like "Sky" are codenames and not the real names of the voice contributors. For privacy reasons, OpenAI does not disclose the identities of the voice actors.