An AI-generated video featuring celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, Jerry Seinfeld, and Adam Sandler protesting Ye’s antisemitic remarks has gone viral. Despite the video’s message, Johansson criticized the “misuse of AI” involved in its creation.
The video shows more than a dozen celebrities in a T-shirt with a Star of David on the middle finger, referring to Kanye, now known as Ye. The black-and-white footage is set to a remix by AI of the popular Jewish folk tune “Hava Nagila.”
Guy Bar and Ori Bjerano are co-workers at an AI firm in Israel. They created the video and audio and then posted it online. Bar claimed that the video, which has received tens and thousands of views, was created using multiple AI generators.
Bar claimed the video was created in response to Ye’s recent actions. These included posting a flurry of antisemitic comments on X and selling T-shirts with a swastika on his website. Ye’s X page and website were taken down.
Bar stated that he wanted to use Jewish celebrities in the video so they could send the message “enough is enough” to Ye. He claimed that he had not received any contact from the celebrities who appeared in the video.
Johansson whose face is in the opening shot raised concerns over the video. She called it a “misuse” of AI and demanded regulatory legislation regarding AI.
Family members and friends have informed me that a video created by AI featuring my likeness in response to a racist view has been spreading online. I am a Jewish woman who does not tolerate antisemitism, hate speech, or any other form of hatred.
“But I am also convinced that the threat of hate speech, multiplied by AI, is far greater than any single person who accepts responsibility for it. We must expose the misuse of AI no matter what its message is, or risk losing our grip on reality,” Johansson stated in a press release.
Johansson was the subject of an AI-generated sex video and had a dispute with OpenAI last year after she claimed that the company’s ChatGPT Text-to-Speech product sounded eerily like her voice.
“There’s a tsunami coming in AI, and several countries have responded responsibly, including the United States. It’s frightening that the US government has been paralyzed in its efforts to pass legislation protecting all of its citizens from the immediate dangers of AI.
Johansson stated: “I urge the U.S. Government to make passing legislation limiting AI usage a priority. It is a bipartisan matter that affects humanity’s immediate future in a major way.”
Bar responded that he supported “responsible AI”, and discussions about the ethical and legal implications of the technology. Bar stated that the video wasn’t made to “mislead” or “exploit anyone”, but to begin a discussion about the rise in hate speech.
He said: “Art has always been used to inspire social change throughout history. AI is a new medium for impactful storytelling.”
