Scarlett Johansson condemns AI video of Jewish celebs giving Kanye West the finger

Scarlett Johansson condemns an AI video that shows a wide array of Jewish celebrities, including Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen, wearing a T-shirt with a raised middle finger and the word “Kanye” — a rejection of the rapper Kanye West’s antisemitism.

Johansson, who is featured in the video, says she does not take issue with the message, but opposes the “the misuse of AI.”

“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.,” she says in a statement,

“We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality,” she says.

The video resembles any number of PSAs created by Jewish advocates, but was made with generative AI.

Released on Instagram by Ori Bejerano, an Israeli generative AI entrepreneur, the video spread rapidly on Tuesday, riding a wave of anger at West and frustration over his persistence as a presence in the public sphere despite a years-long record of antisemitism. Over the last week, West posted a string of antisemitic tweets, then paid for a Super Bowl ad directing viewers to a website that sold just one product: a $20 T-shirt with a swastika on it.