Pedestrians in Seattle received an unexpected — and unsettling — message at several crosswalks last week: instead of the standard “walk” or “wait,” an AI-generated voice resembling Jeff Bezos pleaded against taxing the rich and referenced a notorious local murder.
At least six crosswalks throughout the city were reportedly hacked to play audio that mimicked the Amazon founder’s voice, complete with political satire and an eerie allusion to the killing of United Healthcare’s CEO, allegedly by Luigi Mangione.
“Hi, it’s Jeff Bezos. This crosswalk is sponsored by Amazon Prime with an important message. You know, please, please don’t tax the rich,” the recording began.
It continued: “Otherwise, all the other billionaires will move to Florida, too. Wouldn’t it be terrible if all the rich people left Seattle or got Luigi-ed — then normal people could afford to live here again.”
Hack highlights rising tensions over tech wealth and local policy
While the identity of the prankster remains unknown, local broadcaster KUOW speculated that the stunt could be a reaction to Seattle’s proposed wealth taxes, which have drawn criticism from the city’s powerful tech sector.
By Friday, city officials confirmed that the crosswalks had been restored to normal operation. A spokesperson for the Seattle Department of Transportation condemned the prank as “irresponsible and dangerous.”
“The audio recordings at crosswalks play a critical role for people who are blind or have limited vision, helping them to cross streets safely,” the department told KUOW. “We are concerned that someone would disregard the safety of people to make a political statement.”
AI prank trend spreads across West Coast tech cities
Seattle isn’t the only city where pranksters have hijacked public infrastructure to make satirical statements. Earlier this month, pedestrians in Silicon Valley cities — including Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Redwood City — were startled to hear crosswalk messages in deepfaked voices of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and even former President Trump.
One fake Musk message played at crosswalks stated, “You know it’s funny, I used to think he was just this dumb sack of s**t. But, well, when you get to know him, he’s actually really sweet and tender and loving.”
That message was followed by a voice sounding like Trump saying, “Sweetie, come back to bed.”
Meanwhile, another crosswalk triggered a Zuckerberg deepfake: “Hi, this is Mark Zuckerberg, but real ones call me the Zuck,” it began. “You know, it’s normal to feel uncomfortable or even violated as we forcefully insert AI into every facet of your conscious experience… Anyway, see ya.”
As of now, authorities have not determined whether the Seattle and Silicon Valley incidents are connected. But both cases underscore the growing accessibility — and risk — of generative AI tools in the wrong hands.
With deepfakes becoming more convincing and easier to deploy, even something as mundane as crossing the street is no longer safe from satire.
