Scarlett Johansson calls for U.S. to take action over AI and deepfake videos

Scarlett Johansson is leading the charge to try to get the government to pass laws over protection from AI and deepfake videos.

Any sane person would be actively against Kanye West at this point. And it seems like a lot of celebrities are on board with openly bashing the rapper and self-proclaimed Nazi. But that’s just it: it seems like they are, at least to untrained eyes. In a new video that has gone viral, the creator has used deepfake technology to make it seem like a slew of celebrities got together to protest Kanye’s most recent anti-semitic tirade: there’s Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg, Natalie Portman, and others with Jewish heritage all donning a white t-shirt with a middle finger, a Star of David and the name “KANYE” underneath (a response to Kanye’s own swastika shirt). Now, one of the supposed participants, Scarlett Johansson, is blasting the use of AI in such a manner, citing its implications and harm it will inevitably bring.

Responding to the AI video, Scarlett Johansson said, “It has been brought to my attention by family members and friends, that an A.I.-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 A.I. is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of A.I., no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”

Scarlett Johansson has been one of the most vocal celebrities against this use of AI, especially since she has been a too-frequent victim of it and its psychotic cousin, deepfake. She continued her statement by asking that the United States government get more involved in the fight against AI’s harmful uses, adding that the country is falling behind drastically. “There is a 1000-foot wave coming regarding A.I. 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 A.I…I urge the U.S. government to make the passing of legislation limiting A.I. use a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”

We can – and should – praise Scarlett Johansson for being so passionate about passing laws regarding AI. But we can’t help but notice that there are too few celebrities who are being outspoken on the topic. Many prominent voices have shown their disdain or skepticism over deepfake technology, like Keanu Reeves and Tom Hanks, but it’s going to take a lot more than just that to stop videos such as this – and worse.

So, truly, good on ScarJo for giving a true voice to the cause, but Hollywood really does need to come together and fight the issue. With artificial intelligence moving at such a rapid rate, it could very well soon get to the point where it’s genuinely hard to separate reality from AI. And let’s face it: we may know videos like this are phony, but think about how many people were fooled.