Scarlett Johansson Urges Government to Limit A.I. After Faked Video of Her Opposing Kanye West Goes Viral

Mar. 15, 2025

Scarlett Johansson attends the Clooney Foundation For Justice’s “The Albies” on September 28, 2023.Photo:Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Scarlett Johanssonis urging U.S. legislators to place limits on artificial intelligence as an unauthorized, A.I.-generated video of her and other Jewish celebrities opposingKanye Westgoes viral.

The video, which has been circulating on social media, opens with an A.I. version of Johansson, 40, wearing a white T-shirt featuring a hand and its middle finger extended. In the center of the hand is a Star of David. The name “Kanye” is written underneath the hand.

The video contains A.I.-generated versions of over a dozen other Jewish celebrities, includingDrake, Jerry Seinfeld,Steven Spielberg,Mark Zuckerberg,Jack Black,Mila KunisandLenny Kravitz. It ends with an A.I.Adam Sandlerflipping his finger at the camera as the Jewish folk song “Hava Nagila” plays.

The video ends with “Enough is Enough” and “Join the Fight Against Antisemitism.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, Johansson denounced what she called “the misuse of A.I., no matter what its messaging.”

Scarlett Johansson attends the European Premiere of “Transformers One” at Cineworld Leicester Square on September 19, 2024.Karwai Tang/WireImage

Karwai Tang/WireImage

“I have unfortunately been a very public victim of A.I.,” she said, “but the truth is that the threat of A.I. affects each and every one of us.”

“There is a 1000-foot wave coming regarding A.I. that several progressive countries, not including the United States, have responded to in a responsible manner. It is terrifying that the U.S. government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of A.I.”

Johansson, September 2023.Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images

Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images

The statement concluded, “I urge the U.S. government to make the passing of legislation limiting A.I. use a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”

West, 47, was not named in her statement.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

This isn’t the first time Johasson’s been the victim of an A.I. fake. In November 2023, the actressthreatened legal actionagainst a company after it used her A.I. likeness without her permission for an ad that was consequently removed.

Then in May 2024, she was"angered" and “shocked"to hear a voice “eerily similar” to her own as the “voice” of OpenA.I.’s ChatGPT” system, called Sky.

“In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected,” she shared at the time.

source: people.com