Actor Scarlett Johansson is urging lawmakers to regulate the use of artificial intelligence after her likeness was used without her consent in a fake viral video that appears to show a handful of celebrities protesting the rapper Ye.
The video, which has circulated across X and Instagram, shows doctored clips of celebrities — including Johansson, Canadian rapper Drake, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, filmmaker Steven Spielberg and comedian Adam Sandler — wearing T-shirts with the Star of David inside a hand making a middle finger gesture. The word “KANYE” is written below. The video ends with a call to “Join the Fight Against Antisemitism.”
Social media users began circulating the video after Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, began selling swastika T-shirts on his clothing website, which he had promoted during a Super Bowl ad. The rapper has been criticized for posting antisemitic messages on X, including claims that he is a Nazi. His account was deactivated last week. Ye’s store was offline as of Tuesday morning after the e-commerce platform Shopify said the site had violated its rules.
In a statement, Johansson said: “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.”
“I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind,” the actor said. “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.”
It’s unclear who made the original video. NBC News has not independently verified whether AI-generated software was used to make it. On Instagram, the platform included a disclaimer below one person’s reshare of the video, which states: “This content was digitally created or altered with AI to seem real.”
Representatives for X and Meta, which owns Instagram, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. NBC News has reached out to representatives for other celebrities who appear in the fake video.
Since the rise of widespread and accessible generative AI technology, Johansson has joined a growing pool of celebrities whose likenesses have been used without their knowledge or permission.
In late 2023, Johansson’s attorney demanded that an AI-focused app stop using an AI-generated version of her likeness in one of its advertisements.
And in May last year, OpenAI decided to pause a voice used as part of its GPT-4o chatbot that sounded similar to Johansson’s voice in the sci-fi dystopia movie “Her.” Johansson had expressed being “shocked, angered and in disbelief” at the resemblance, but OpenAI denied that the voice was a deliberate imitation of Johansson’s voice.
Other celebrities and influencers who have found their likenesses used in AI-generated deepfakes — often in the form of advertisements — in recent years include pop star Taylor Swift, YouTuber MrBeast and actor Tom Hanks, among many others.
“I have unfortunately been a very public victim of AI, but the truth is that the threat of AI affects each and every one of us,” Johansson said in her recent statement.
For now, no comprehensive legislation exists in the United States to regulate the development of AI. Several states have passed or introduced bills for specific regulations, particularly around political deepfakes.
“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,” Johansson said in her statement. “It is terrifying that the US government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of AI.”
She went on to “urge the U.S government to make the passing of legislation limiting AI use a top priority.”
“It is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”
