Scarlett Johansson.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Los Angeles: Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has taken legal action against an AI app after its advertisement allegedly featured her name and likeness without her permission.
The 22-second advertisement was posted on X by Lisa AI: 90’s Yearbook & Avatar, an image generating app, according to American news outlet Variety.
A spokesperson of the Marriage Story star confirmed to Variety that she is not a spokesperson for the company and that appropriate legal actions were taken since it was spotted on October 28.
"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,” her lawyer, Kevin Yorn, told the outlet.
The ad, which has been taken down, uses the behind the scenes footage of Johansson from the set of her 2021 Marvel film Black Widow, in which she played the titular superhero.
"What’s up guys? It’s Scarlett and I want you to come with me..." she says, before the screen transitions into AI-generated photos that resemble her.
A voice, impersonating the actor, continues to speak to promote the app.
“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,” the narration says.
The advertisement also featured a fine print that read, 'Images produced by Lisa AI. It has nothing to do with this person.' Johansson's legal action against the AI app comes just a month after Hollywood veteran Tom Hanks warned his fans about a dental plan advertisement that he claimed was using an 'AI version' of him.
"Beware!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it,” the 67-year-old had posted on Instagram alongside a screenshot of his computer-generated image from the clip.