Seattle Crosswalks Hacked to Play AI Message from Jeff Bezos
In a shocking and bizarre incident, crosswalks in Seattle designed to assist the visually impaired with voice commands were hacked this week to project an AI version of former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' voice. The hack comes just days after similar incidents in Silicon Valley, where crosswalks were commandeered to use AI-generated voices of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The AI-enabled voice of the billionaire can be heard begging pedestrians not to tax the country's wealthiest residents. "Hello, this is Jeff Bezos. This crosswalk is sponsored by Amazon Prime with an important message," the voice says. "Please, please don't tax the rich. Otherwise, all the other billionaires will move to Florida too." The message makes reference to the fact that Bezos moved to Miami last year and is reported to have sold his Seattle mansion for a staggering $63 million this week.
In further remarks, the AI-enabled voice goes on to mention Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year. "Wouldn't it be terrible if all the rich people left Seattle or got Luigi'd?" the voice asks. "And then normal people could afford to live here again." Before ending, the audio recording can be heard playing comedian Bo Burnham's "Bezos I," a popular song about the billionaire.
Amazon has issued a statement denying any involvement in the crosswalk hack, saying that the company "did not endorse or sponsor" the crosswalks. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has also weighed in on the matter, arguing that the apparent prank disregards the safety of the city's visually impaired.
"The audio recordings at crosswalks play a critical role for people who are blind or have limited vision, helping them to cross streets safely," SDOT told local tech outlet GeekWire. "We are concerned that someone would disregard the safety of people to make a political statement." The hack has left many questioning how many crosswalks were affected and what measures will be taken to prevent future hacking.
SDOT added that it is now considering "stronger security measures to prevent future hacking." For now, the city remains on high alert as it tries to get to the bottom of this bizarre incident. As one thing is clear, internet culture is chaotic – and we're here to break it down for you in one daily email.
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