In a surprising twist to the ongoing public feud between Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson and artificial intelligence company OpenAI, new revelations from an agent representing the actress who voiced "Sky" for ChatGPT have shed light on the controversy. Contrary to Johansson's claims that OpenAI imitated her voice without her consent, the agent for the actress hired to voice "Sky" reveals that her client was never asked to imitate Johansson's voice, according to The Washington Post.

The agent confirms that neither Johansson nor her role in the 2013 film "Her," where she lends her voice to a virtual AI assistant, was mentioned during her client's audition for ChatGPT. The agent further explains that her client was hired to create the voice for "Sky" several months before OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, reached out to Johansson.

The choice of the name "Sky" was deliberate, according to the agent, as it was meant to convey a cool, pleasant sound. The Washington Post also reports that audio recordings of the actress' voice test and the AI-generated voice of "Sky" sounded identical, adding weight to the claim that there was no intentional imitation of Johansson's voice.

Scarlett Johansson had released a statement on Monday, revealing that Altman had approached her in September about potentially being the voice for ChatGPT. In her statement, Johansson expressed her anger and disbelief at the similarities between the "Sky" voice and her own work in "Her." She even accused Altman of insinuating that the likeness was intentional in a now-deleted tweet.

Johansson's claims led her to consider legal action against OpenAI, prompting her lawyer to demand an explanation from the company. As a result, OpenAI temporarily removed the "Sky" voice from their products. Altman, however, denies any intention to make "Sky" resemble Johansson's voice, stating that the voice actor for "Sky" was cast prior to any contact with Johansson.

Joanne Jang, a product lead at OpenAI, confirmed that Altman was not extensively involved in the casting process due to his world tour at the time. The "Sky" actress, through her agent, expressed her disappointment at the backlash, stating that the whole situation feels personal. She emphasized that the similarity is purely coincidental, as it is her natural voice and she has never been compared to Johansson before.

Representatives for Scarlett Johansson have not yet responded to requests for comment on the recent revelations. The outcome of the dispute between Johansson and OpenAI remains uncertain, but these new insights challenge the actress's initial accusations of voice imitation by the AI company.