Scarlett Johansson takes legal action against AI app for cloning her voice

Ten years after Scarlett Johansson gave a voice to the disembodied AI in Her, real-world AI developers are stealing hers to sell mobile apps.

Johansson is taking legal action against Convert Software, the developer behind an AI image-editing app called Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar, for cloning her voice and likeness without permission in an online ad.

The 22-second clone job

The 22-second promo surfaced briefly on X on October 28 before vanishing from the web. But Variety reviewed a copy, revealing a brazen rip-off of the Marvel star.

The ad opens with real behind-the-scenes footage of Johansson filming Black Widow, where she says, What is up guys? It is Scarlett and I want you to come with me.

The video then cuts away to AI-generated avatars while a synthetic voice mimicking Johansson takes over, pitching that the app is not limited to avatars only and can create images with texts and AI videos.

At the very bottom of the clip, the developer ran tiny disclaimer text reading: Images produced by Lisa AI. It has nothing to do with this person.

Johansson's attorney, Kevin Yorn, confirmed she was never a spokesperson for the tool. Yorn stated that they do not take these things lightly and will pursue all legal remedies available.

Hollywood's deepfake problem

Johansson is just the latest celebrity to get pulled into the wild west of synthetic media.

Last month, Tom Hanks took to Instagram to warn fans about a dental plan promo that used an unauthorized AI version of him, telling followers he had nothing to do with it.

Around the same time, British actor Stephen Fry revealed that an AI had cloned his voice using extensive audio clips without his consent, calling it an unsettling sign of the times.

From Drake clone tracks to synthetic covers of Taylor Swift, generative voice cloning has become cheap, convincing, and widely available to anyone with a browser.

Why it matters

Tapping celebrity voices has always been a shortcut for viral growth, but developers thinking a tiny disclaimer covers their tracks are in for a brutal legal awakening. Dropping a line like has nothing to do with this person does not shield anyone from right of publicity and false endorsement claims.

For builders and marketers, this lawsuit is a clear warning sign. The tech to clone voices and faces in seconds is out there, but taking shortcuts with famous likenesses will destroy a startup long before it achieves product-market fit.

We think this also highlights a much bigger structural issue. A-list actors have elite legal teams ready to file lawsuits within 48 hours, but regular people do not have that safety net when their voices or faces get cloned for online scams and impersonation.