Scarlett Johansson is speaking out after a deepfake video made the rounds starring her and other Jewish A-listers denouncing Kanye West’s latest antisemitic rant and sale of swastika T-shirts.
The viral video shows an AI rendering of the actress donning a T-shirt featuring a hand giving the middle finger. In the center of the hand is a Star of David, with “Kanye” written underneath. Johansson can be seen at the very start of the video, followed by celebs such as Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg, Jack Black, Lenny Kravitz, Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Ben Stiller, among many others.
In a statement to People, the “Black Widow” star says she has “no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind,” but went on to warn against the use of artificial intelligence.
“I 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,” Johansson, 40, said. “We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”
Johansson is no stranger to being targeted by AI. In 2018, she became one of the first celebrities subjected to AI sexual abuse when her face was added into pornographic videos that were then circulated online. In 2023, she sued an artificial intelligence app for using her likeness without permission.
“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,” Johansson said. “It is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”
She concluded her statement by calling on the U.S. government to prioritize taking action against unauthorized imagery.
Guy Bar, the Israeli founder of AI tech hub Elevaitor and co-creator of the viral video, defended his actions in an interview released Thursday by The Jewish Chronicle.
“It had to be 2025-02-13T20:08:56+00:00 very, very fast,” he said. “If you take time [after West’s T-shirt controversy], it wouldn’t be relevant. You must make very quick decisions.”
“They are the most famous Jewish [celebrities] in the world,” he said of the stars chosen for the clip. “They are very relevant to Kanye West’s world. In a perfect world, the real [people would be] doing [the video with] their voice. I wish they would share it and say, ‘We definitely agree with this video, we want to spread it all over.”
