Scarlett Johansson is taking legal action against an AI app developer for using a clone of her voice to endorse its software; advertisements for the AI image editing software "Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar" included her AI-generated face and "Black Widow" included behind-the-scenes clips.

This is the latest in a growing number of AI-related lawsuits that have focused on copyrighting content used to train models and when AI generates images and text in the style of authors, artists, and musicians.

In the most recent lawsuit, Universal Music Group sued Claude AI maker Anthropic over the way it generates lyrics in the style of its artists. [The Lisa AI ad begins with a scene from the filming of "Black Widow," with Johansson saying, "Hey guys, what's up? I'm Scarlett, and I want you to come with me," and begins with Johansson saying, "I'm Scarlett, and I want you to come with me," before transitioning to a slideshow of images designed to resemble the actress created by the app.

A Johansson-like narration plays over the images, "It's not just about avatars. A Johansson-like narration will play, "This is not just for avatars. Don't miss it."

Covert Software, makers of the Lisa AI app, added the following disclaimer at the bottom of the ad: "Image produced by Lisa AI. We have no affiliation with this person."

The ad was 22 seconds long and was spotted by Starr's legal team on X/Twitter on October 28. According to Variety, which first reported the story, it is unclear how long the ad was published, but it has since been completely removed from the site.

The actress from the film "Her/one of a kind in the world," who plays an artificial intelligence, does not support the app, and her agent, Kevin Yorn, said he does not take this lightly." In accordance with our normal course of action in such situations, we will respond with all legal remedies."

California has strict laws regarding privacy rights, particularly the unauthorized use of names, voices, signatures, photographs, and likenesses for advertising and promotional purposes, and it is this avenue that Johansson's team is likely to take.

The app is still available on Apple's App Store and Google Play Store. The app allows users to upload a photo of themselves and turn it into an AI version. The app is one of several similar apps that offer the ability to AI-ize images of themselves, but has been criticized for copyright and privacy concerns.

Omar Ochoa, founder of the law firm Omar Ochoa, said the court would likely side with Scarlett Johansson's established rights and enforce licensing requirements on developers for the use of her likeness.

"In a way, this is a good test case for an important legal battle: protection of established legal rights and support for AI development if the limits are exceeded," he explained.

George Salinas, founder of George Salinas Injury Lawyers, said that screenwriters should be aware that their work could be used to train an AI to create new scripts, ideas, and stories, and that for their work He drew parallels with the severity of recent screenwriters who have filed labor disputes over concerns about whether they should be credited and given royalties.

"In this case, it should not be difficult to prove that Johansson engaged in unauthorized commercial use of her likeness, since the AI app is undoubtedly trying to replicate her likeness and this is an advertisement intended to gain customers/users," he told me.