Once again, AI continues to be front of mind this month. While companies expand AI functionality, artists call for protection of their likeness, and consumers call for accurate information. Meanwhile, cyberattacks evolve, and arts enterprises with high profile clients are challenged to respond. Looking at organizational workflow, popular tools like Canva are expanding to become a “one-stop shop” for design needs.

OpenAI’s New Voice Assistant and Scarlett Johansson

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, called actress Scarlett Johansson with a unique request: to approve use of her voice for ChatGPT’s new voice assistant, “Sky.” Altman has shared that Spike Jonze’s 2013 film Her is his favorite, following a lonely man who develops feelings for his AI virtual assistant “Samantha,” voiced by Johansson. Altman felt that, by utilizing Johansson’s familiar voice, it may comfort individuals reluctant about AI. The star turned down Altman’s request for personal reasons. Just two days before the assistant was launched, Altman reached out again, and Johansson continued to decline. However, when the updated ChatGPT model was launched earlier this month, the voice sounded eerily similar to Johansson’s. Altman claims that a different voice actress was hired for this role long before he contacted Johansson, denying that it was trained using the star’s voice. OpenAI has removed “Sky” after pressure from Johansson’s lawyers, and they are calling for the company to release more information about the source of the voice. 

Google AI Overview Yields False Information

When you search something on Google this month, you’ve likely noticed a new AI-generated summary at the top of the results page. Rather than clicking into various sites, it offers a summary of results to answer your question. As the feature produced false answers encouraging users to use glue in a pizza recipe or consume rocks, it  received significant attention online. Google responded that the majority of responses are “high-quality information, with links to dig deeper on the web.” While many people made jokes about these errors, there is serious concern that incorrect information could cause harm in some cases. Google is under more pressure than AI competitors to ensure validity of information, however, this problem might not be easily solved. AI models are inherently designed to produce believable information, not necessarily true information. The company says they are “using feedback to help [them] develop broader improvements to [their] systems, some of which have already started to roll out.”

Christie’s Cyberattack Threatens Client Data

Days before Christie’s $528 million spring sale, the website was taken offline by hackers, which later revealed themselves to be RansomHub. In a post on the dark web, the hacking group claimed to have private client data for more than 500,000 people threatened to reveal this data publicly if Christie’s does not shell out an undisclosed ransom. The hacking group shared a sampling of high profile clients' names and birthdays as an example. While it is unknown exactly how much information RansomHub has about each client, it is plausible that they have what they claim. Christie’s does not believe they accessed client financial information. Cyber attacks are growing within arts and cultural organizations, including recent incidents with the Metropolitan Opera and Philadelphia Orchestra, and they are becoming more difficult to prepare for as the nature of attacks continuously evolves.

Canva Launches New Suite of Digital Tools 

In many ways, Canva has democratized design over the last decade. Now, many organizations rely on the platform for day-to-day projects like social media graphics, flyers, slide shows and more. At Canva Create 2024, the platform launched a new set of workflow tools to make the program more attractive to businesses. Updates include a complete redesign of the editing interface and “Canva Enterprise” option. At an Enterprise level, companies can manage branding at scale, utilize enhanced security features, and review work more efficiently. With Docs, Presentations, Websites, the company seeks to make the platform a “one stop shop” for businesses, consolidating tools like Adobe, Microsoft Suite or Google Workspace.