Pedestrians in a minimum of 3 California cities were met strange AI-generated voice clips simulating Tesla Inc. TSLA and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Meta Platforms Inc.’s META Mark Zuckerberg after crosswalk buttons were apparently hacked over the weekend.
What Took Place: In a number of online videos, a voice looking like Musk pleads for relationship, while one simulating Zuckerberg boasts about “weakening democracy.”
A representative for the city of Palo Alto informed Palo Alto Online that personnel determined 12 downtown crossways impacted by the event and have actually given that switched off the voice includes on the crosswalks while they deal with repair work.
The pedestrian signals themselves are still working generally. The breach is thought to have actually happened on Friday, the representative included.
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Redwood City is dealing with a comparable scenario, with a deputy city supervisor informing The San Francisco Chronicle that authorities are presently checking out the matter and working to repair it. Reports recommend that crosswalk buttons in Menlo Park might have been jeopardized too.
In among the videos published online, the AI-generated voice of Musk can be heard stating, “Hi, this is Elon Musk. Invite to Palo Alto, the home of Tesla engineering. You understand, they state cash can’t purchase joy, and yeah, alright, I think that holds true. God understands I have actually attempted. However it can purchase a Cybertruck, which’s quite ill, ideal? Right? F ***, I’m so alone.”
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In another video, the AI-generated voice of Zuckerberg stated, “Hey, it’s Zuck here. I simply wish to inform you how extremely happy I am of whatever we have actually been constructing together. From weakening democracy to cooking our grandparents’ brains with AI slop, to making the world less safe for trans individuals. No one does it much better than us, and, uh, and I believe that’s quite cool. Zuck out!”
One recording likewise impersonated President Donald Trump in a mock exchange with AI Musk.
Why It is essential: Previously this year, a commonly distributed AI-generated video illustrating Scarlett Johansson together with other Jewish celebs triggered restored worries about the risks of deepfake innovation, leading Johansson to advise legislators to carry out more stringent AI policies.
Johansson has actually regularly been targeted by AI abuse. In 2023, she threatened legal action over an unapproved advertisement including her similarity, and in 2024, she called out OpenAI for providing ChatGPT’s Sky assistant a voice that sounded noticeably comparable to her own.
Comparable events have actually impacted other public figures too– produced visuals and modified audio of people like Taylor Swift and previous President Joe Biden acquired considerable traction in 2015.
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Disclaimer: This material was partly produced with the aid of AI tools and was evaluated and released by Benzinga editors.
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