- Scarlett Johansson said she’s a “victim of AI” after a fake video featuring her went viral.
- The video, made by AI creators, features celebrities responding to Kanye West’s remarks on X.
- The creators of the video defended their work, calling it an “artistic and cultural statement.”
Scarlett Johansson pointed to the problems with artificial intelligence usage again after an AI video featuring her and other celebrities went viral.
Johansson, who has been vocal about AI regulation in the past, addressed a video that appears to respond to Kanye West’s antisemitic remarks on X over the weekend.
On Tuesday, Ori Bejerano, a self-described generative AI expert, uploaded a video of various public figures wearing a white T-shirt featuring a middle finger with the Star of David and “Kanye” underneath. The clip ended with the phrase, “Enough is enough.”
As the video circulated online, Johansson called out “the misuse of AI” and urged the US government to pass legislation to regulate the technology.
“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 a statement to Business Insider.
The faces of several public figures, many of whom identify as Jewish, appeared in the clip — including Drake, Mike Bloomberg, Natalie Portman, and more.
Israeli AI entrepreneur Guy Bar and Bejerano confirmed to BI that they’re the creators of the video. The celebrities featured were chosen because of their Jewish heritage and their proximity to Ye’s “social and cultural environment,” Bar said.
“We wanted to use their voices, so to speak, to tell Kanye West: ‘Your antisemitism and incitement to violence have crossed every possible line. Enough is enough,'” Bar told BI.
Bar, speaking on behalf of himself and Bejerano, said they “deeply respect” Johansson’s concerns about AI but defended their work.
“The video in question was not created for commercial purposes but rather as an artistic and cultural statement aimed at confronting rising antisemitism,” Bar said.
BI reached out to representatives for each public figure whose likeness was included in the clip; most did not reply. A spokesperson for David Schwimmer said the actor has no comment at this time.
West, whose legal name is Ye, appeared in an ad during the Super Bowl on Sunday promoting his website YEEZY.com. After the commercial aired, the online store had a T-shirt featuring a swastika as the only product for sale.
The move followed up a string of antisemitic posts made on X by Ye on Friday and Saturday. The rapper praised Adolf Hitler and described himself as a Nazi. Shopify, which powered the web store, confirmed that it shut down the site on Tuesday.
Johansson’s previous AI legal battles
Johansson called out ChatGPT maker OpenAI in 2024, saying their “Sky” voice assistant sounded “eerily similar” to her own. She said she declined OpenAI’s request to voice their virtual assistant before the company announced the technology.
OpenAI denied that the actor who voiced the assistant was hired to imitate Johansson and eventually “paused” Sky to address the issue. As comparisons mounted, Johansson called for legislation to protect “individual rights” regarding AI and deepfakes.
GenAI has been a point of contention between Silicon Valley and the general public. Companies are ramping up their AI investments while the US government is taking a more relaxed approach to regulation compared to some other countries.
“We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry,” Vice President JD Vance said at the Paris AI summit on Tuesday.
Read her full statement on Bar and Bejerano’s 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. 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.
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.
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 US government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of AI.
I urge the US 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.”
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