Silicon Valley’s crosswalks were hacked, and it’s funny

Author

Matt V
April 17, 2025

FUNNY AI

Pedestrian crossing buttons in parts of Silicon Valley were hacked over the weekend to play AI-generated voice clips that mimicked Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

The clips were satirical and called out rapid AI development.

Videos taken in Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Redwood City show the buttons delivering messages like:

  • “It’s normal to feel uncomfortable … there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it,” in a Zuckerberg-style voice.

  • “Money can’t buy happiness… but it can buy a Cybertruck,” followed by “I’m so alone,” in a voice resembling Musk.

It’s still unclear who was behind the hack or why, but local officials say it could be a case of hacktivism.

Cyberpunk, but make it suburban

The issue is under investigation, and early reports suggest it began on Friday.

These crosswalk buttons are designed to help visually impaired pedestrians by playing audio cues.

What to know:

  • AI voice clips were used to replace standard audio at pedestrian crossings.

  • Weak security settings made the system vulnerable.

  • Local authorities are looking into it and working on a fix.

But, as security researcher Deviant Ollam noted in a 2024 video, they can be easy to tamper with, especially if default passwords haven’t been updated.

Polara, the company behind the tech, hasn’t commented yet.

Crosswalks oversharing now? Who gave them trauma?