Scarlett Johansson Slams AI ‘Deepfake’ Video of Celebrities Condemning Kanye West, Calls for Regulations
An AI-generated video of Scarlett Johansson and other celebrities slamming Ye—formerly known as Kanye West—has gone viral, prompting the actress to call on the U.S. government to rein in artificial intelligence.
In the grainy black-and-white film, Johansson is shown among other Jewish celebrities denouncing Ye’s most recent antisemitic behavior. The stars are seen sporting white tees that bear the Star of David encircled by the outline of a hand giving the middle finger, with the name “Kanye” written underneath.
A “deepfaked” Adam Sandler ends the video throwing up his middle finger as the Jewish folk song “Hava Nagila” plays. The messages “Enough is Enough” and “Join the Fight Against Antisemitism” then flash on the screen.
Artificial intelligence renditions of Mila Kunis, Jerry Seinfeld, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Black, Lenny Kravitz, Ben Stiller, Drake, Lisa Kudrow, Steven Spielberg, Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ben Schwimmer are also featured in the video.
“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,” Johansson told People Magazine.
“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.”
The video and Johansson’s remarks follow Ye’s increasingly public antisemitic behavior, which began when the rapper went on a social media rampage glorifying Adolf Hitler and admitting to being a Nazi,
On Feb 9., Ye made headlines when the Superbowl aired his ad—a video filmed on his iPhone encouraging viewers to visit his Yeezy website. The online store only contained one item—a t-shirt bearing a swastika, with a product code “HH.”
The website was taken down shortly after by Shopify. The company told The Hollywood Reporter that it was due to the online store violating the platform’s terms of service.
“All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform. This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms, so we removed them from Shopify.”
In her statement, Johansson continued that the rise of AI was alarming. “I have unfortunately been a very public victim of A.I.,” she said, “but the truth is that the threat of A.I. 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.”
Johansson concluded the statement urging the U.S. government to make the “passing of legislation limiting AI use as a top priority.” She named it “a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”
The creator of the video is still unknown.
Johansson has spoken out about the misuse of AI in the past. In November 2023, Johansson threatened legal action against a company when it exploited her likeness in an ad without her consent.
Last May, she discovered that OpenAI’s ChatGPT had a voice named “Sky” that was “eerily similar” to hers. “My closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” she said. She also suggested that OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, subtly acknowledged that the likeness in voice was deliberate.
“Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word ‘her’ — a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.”
Johansson was “angered” and “shocked,” but OpenAI denied the accusations and said it had hired a different actress for the voice.
“In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected.”
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
