In a peculiar incident, anonymous hackers in Silicon Valley successfully altered crosswalk signals, prompting messages in the voices of tech giants Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. This breach occurred due to Caltrans failing to update passwords for the system, despite prior recommendations from the manufacturers.
Footage circulated online in April showcased the humorous AI-generated messages triggered when pedestrians pressed the buttons to cross in locations like Redwood City, Menlo Park, and Palo Alto. One message humorously identified Zuckerberg, stating, "Hi, this is Mark Zuckerberg, but real ones call me the Zuck," while discussing AI's role in daily life.
The Musk impersonation entertained listeners with a promise of friendship and a Tesla Cybertruck, declaring, "They say money can't buy happiness... but it can buy a Cybertruck." Similar incidents have been reported in Seattle, where crosswalk messages from Jeff Bezos addressed tax issues humorously. Experts suggest that this event reflects basic human error rather than advanced hacking techniques.