KazPost

Kazakhstan News
Friday, Oct 04, 2024

0:00
0:00

Elon Musk Statements About Tesla Autopilot Could Be 'Deepfakes,' Lawyers Claim. Judge Evette Pennypacker Does Not Understand How Far and Advanced This Technology Became

Elon Musk has been ordered to be interviewed under oath to determine if he made specific statements about Tesla's Autopilot feature after the carmaker threw their authenticity into doubt, saying the billionaire was often a target of online "deepfakes".

A California judge has questioned Tesla's defense that Elon Musk's statements about the safety of the company's Autopilot driver assistance system could be deepfakes.

The judge, Evette Pennypacker, made the ruling in a tentative order in a lawsuit brought by the family of Walter Huang, who was killed in a 2018 crash while using Autopilot.

Tesla has argued that Huang was playing a video game on his phone at the time of the crash, and that he ignored multiple warnings from the car. However, Huang's family has pointed to Musk's statements about Autopilot, including a 2016 tweet in which he said that Tesla cars "can drive themselves with greater safety than a human."

Tesla's lawyers have argued that Musk cannot recall making the statements, and that they could be deepfakes. However, Judge Pennypacker said that Tesla's argument is "deeply troubling."

"Their position is that because Mr. Musk is famous and might be more of a target for deepfakes, his public statements are immune," Judge Pennypacker wrote. "This is a dangerous proposition."

Judge Pennypacker tentatively ordered a limited, three-hour deposition, where Musk could be asked whether he actually made the statements on the recording.

The ruling is a victory for Huang's family, who have been fighting for years to hold Tesla accountable for Huang's death. It is also a setback for Tesla, which has been trying to deflect blame for the crash.

The case is still ongoing, and it is not clear whether Judge Pennypacker's tentative order will be finalized. However, the ruling is a sign that the judge is taking the case seriously, and that she is not willing to let Tesla get away with its excuses.


What is a deepfake?

A deepfake usually involves an image or video in which a person or object is visually or audibly manipulated to say and do something that is fabricated.

They have been used to create fake videos of Barack Obama calling Donald Trump a "complete dips**t" and Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg bragging about having "complete control" of people's data.

Deepfakes have also been used to create fake pornographic images of celebrities.

And there are concerns that they could be used to create mass panic or influence elections by creating fake videos of politicians.

Some countries are even attempting to crackdown on deepfakes. In England and Wales, proposals have been put forward to make the creation of pornographic deepfakes without consent a criminal offence.

The images are made using AI technology - though experts are also attempting to use AI to tackle deepfakes by making technology that can more easily pick-out fact from fiction.

California judges often issue tentative rulings, which are almost always finalised with few major changes after such a hearing.

The lawsuit is scheduled to go into trial on 31 July.

It comes after a California state court jury on Friday found Tesla's Autopilot feature did not fail in what appeared to be the first trial related to a crash involving the partially automated driving software.

Newsletter

Related Articles

KazPost
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
An Ominous Shift in Warfare: Western Powers Risk War Crimes and Violate International Norms with Cluster Bomb Supply to Ukraine
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
Corruption in the European Parliament - Business as usual
UK Crypto and Stablecoin Regulations Become Law as Royal Assent is Granted
Paris Suburb Grapples with Violence as Curfew Imposed: Saint-Denis Residents Express Dismay and Anger
A Delaware city wants to let businesses vote in its elections
Alef Aeronautics Achieves Historic Milestone with Flight Certification for World's First Flying Car
Google Blocked Access to Canadian News in Response to New Legislation
French Politicians Advocate for Pan-European Regulation on Social Media Influencers
×