The actress is one of several Jewish celebrities whose likeness was used in the clip without their knowledge or permission
Tina Campbell1 minute ago
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Scarlett Johansson has made it clear she does not approve after she was included in a fake AI video showing Jewish celebrities giving Kanye West the finger.
The Lost In Translation actress, 40, is one of several Jewish celebrities whose likeness was used in the now-viral clip without their knowledge or permission, including David Schwimmer, Ben Stiller, Steven Spielberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Sacha Baron Cohen.
Each are shown to bewearing white t-shirts featuring a hand holding a Star of David with the middle finger raised above the word “KANYE.”
It follows rapper West, 47, getting himself banned from social media platform X by sharing a series of divisive and antisemitic posts. He then sparked further outrage when it emerged his website Yeezy.com, which he advertised during the Super Bowl, only sold one product: a white T-shirt emblazoned with a swastika – the emblem adopted by the German Nazi party during World War II and who were responsible for the deaths of around six million Jewish people.
The website was swiftly taken down by Shopify on Tuesday over policy violations.
While Johansson is indeed Jewish and says she has “no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind”, she does not agree with “misuse of AI”.
Issuing a statement to People, she elaborated: “It has been brought to my attention by family members and friends, that an AI-generated video featuring my likeness, in response to an antisemitic view, has been circulating online and gaining traction.
“I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”
She added: “I have unfortunately been a very public victim of AI, but the truth is that the threat of AI affects each and every one of us.”
The Marvel star went on to call on the US government to do more to limit AI, adding: “There is a 1,000ft wave coming regarding AI that several progressive countries, not including the United States, have responded to in a responsible manner. It is terrifying that the US government is paralysed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of AI.
“I urge the US government to make the passing of legislation limiting AI use a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”
The creator of the fake AI-generated video is unknown, however some of the celebrities featured in it had spoken out against West prior to its release.
Among then was Friends actors David Schwimmer who had called for owner of X, Elon Musk, to step in following West’s shocking tirade on the platform.
Alongside images of West declaring himself a Nazi, Schwimmer penned: “This is so 2022. We can’t stop a deranged bigot from spewing hate filled, ignorant bile… but we CAN stop giving him a megaphone, Mr. Musk. Kanye West has 32.7 million followers on your platform, X. That’s twice as many people than the number of Jews in existence.
“His sick hate speech results in REAL LIFE violence against Jews. I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that he identifies as a Nazi (which implies he wants to exterminate ALL marginalized communities including his own) or the fact that there is not sufficient OUTRAGE to remove and ban him from all social media at this point. Silence is complicity.”
Actress Isla Fisher, who is also depicted in the video, also shared on thoughts on the matter via Instagram Stories, writing: “Hey friends, can you please unfollow Kanye? Did you know this is the only thing for sale on his website after placing a Super Bowl commercial? F*** this monster forever. No Tolerance for this s***.”
