Scarlett Johansson Pursuing Legal Action Against AI That Put Her In Commercial

The unauthorized ad, which appeared on X (the social media platform previously known as Twitter) on October 28, featured Johansson in a 22-second video clip that initially shows the actress behind the scenes of Marvel’s Black Widow.

In the clip, Scarlett Johansson says, “What’s up guys? It’s Scarlett, and I want you to come with me…”

Then, a graphic obscures her mouth, and the screen transitions into AI-generated photos that closely resemble the Hollywood star. 

A fabricated voice, mimicking Scarlett Johansson’s, continues promoting the AI app, stating, “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.”

While Scarlett Johansson’s face and voice were stolen and used without permission, the advertisement did contain a disclaimer in fine print that read, “Images produced by Lisa AI. It has nothing to do with this person.”

However, the disclaimer doesn’t seem to have been enough to protect the company from legal action. 

California law allows for a civil claim to be presented when an individual’s “name, voice, signature, photograph or likeness” is used for advertisement purposes without their consent.

Scarlett Johansson’s attorney, Kevin Yorn, is taking a firm stance on protecting her rights, expressing, “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.”

Scarlett Johansson’s representatives have confirmed that she is not affiliated with the app in any way, making the use of her image and likeness without permission a clear violation of her rights.

The AI app, Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar, is one of several Lisa AI apps created by Convert Software. Despite the controversy surrounding the Scarlett Johansson ad, multiple Lisa AI apps remain available on popular platforms like the App Store and Google Play. 

Over the last year, AI has become scary accurate with the technology now being able to mimic anyone’s face or voice with just a few video or audio clips provided for example.

While it’s all fun and games when it comes to creating Wes Anderson parodies for social media, using the technology for profit, like in the case of this Scarlett Johansson ad, can be detrimental to actors who make a living by using their likeness.

The fear of AI’s potential and lack of protection for actors is a major concern for actors currently participating in the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Scarlett Johansson’s case is not the only instance of AI technology being used to manipulate and impersonate celebrities for promotional purposes.

Just last month, actor Tom Hanks took to social media to warn his fans about a promotional video for a dental plan that featured an AI version of himself.

In his Instagram story, Hanks wrote, “Beware! … I have nothing to do with it,” making it clear that he, too, disapproved of the unauthorized use of his likeness.