In a bizarre incident, crosswalk buttons in at least three California cities have been hacked to feature apparent AI-cloned voices of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The hacked voices have been lampooning the tech CEOs with humorous and satirical messages, leaving many pedestrians in stitches.

According to reports, the hack took place on Friday, affecting 12 downtown intersections in Palo Alto, California. City employees have since disabled the voice features of the crosswalks pending repairs. Similar incidents have been reported in Redwood City and Menlo Park, with officials investigating and attempting to resolve the issue.

The voice features of these crosswalk buttons are typically used to guide people with difficulty seeing, providing audio cues when it's safe to cross the street. However, in this case, the simulated voices of Musk and Zuckerberg have been playing in addition to the built-in safety notices, rather than replacing them.

Videos posted online feature the AI-cloned voices of Musk and Zuckerberg making light of their public personas. In one video, the simulated voice of Musk begs listeners to be his friend, offering them a Cybertruck in exchange for their approval. Another video features a soundalike of President Donald Trump making a guest appearance, poking fun at Musk's close association with the former president.

Meanwhile, the simulated voice of Zuckerberg brags about "undermining democracy" and "cooking our grandparents' brains with AI slop," in a clear exaggeration of the Meta CEO's controversial reputation. Other videos feature Zuckerberg's voice reassuring listeners that they don't need to worry about AI taking over their lives, as there's "absolutely nothing" they can do to stop it.

While the hack is certainly amusing, it raises concerns about the security of public infrastructure and the potential misuse of AI technology. As AI-generated voices become increasingly sophisticated, it's essential to ensure that they are used responsibly and don't compromise public safety or trust.

It's unclear who is behind the hack, but officials are working to resolve the issue and prevent similar incidents in the future. In the meantime, pedestrians in California can enjoy the humorous and satirical takes on two of the tech industry's most prominent figures.

This incident highlights the need for increased vigilance in protecting public infrastructure from cyber threats and the importance of responsible AI development. As technology continues to advance, it's crucial to prioritize security, transparency, and accountability to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.