Recently, in some California cities, pedestrians have encountered unexpected messages at crosswalks. Instead of the standard audible signal for the visually impaired, several traffic lights began broadcasting ironic phrases in the voices—apparently—of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta executive Mark Zuckerberg. So, why is it happening?
The incident was reported on social media, where videos circulated showing altered pedestrian crossing buttons in areas like Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Redwood City, displaying strange and mocking messages. Far from being a new official system, it was a hack.
The voices, cloned using AI, mimicked the tech tycoons to make provocative remarks. For example, in one of the audio recordings, what appeared to be Zuckerberg’s voice could be heard saying:
“It’s normal to feel uncomfortable or even violated as we force AI into every facet of your experience. I just want to reassure you that you have nothing to worry about, because there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.”
In another instance, a voice imitating Elon Musk quipped, “Hi, it’s Elon. Can we be friends? Will you be my friend? I’ll give you a Cybertruck, I promise.”
The ‘Prank’ is Being Investigated
Local outlet Palo Alto Online was the first to report the hack, detailing that the manipulation occurred on Friday, April 11. Redwood City Deputy City Jennifer Yamaguma confirmed that authorities are investigating the case and “working to investigate and resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Palo Alto city spokeswoman Meghan Horrigan-Taylor reported that 12 downtown intersections were reportedly affected by the hack, according to city officials. As a precautionary measure, the voice announcement feature at crosswalks has been disabled until repairs are completed.
Finally, TechCrunch reported that the devices seized were manufactured by Polara, a company specialising in touch buttons with accessibility features. The outlet attempted to obtain a statement from the company, but has not yet received a response.