Elon Musk's Tesla Autopilot statements could actually be deepfakes, as claimed by the billionaire's lawyers.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk celebrates after the successful launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the manned Crew Dragon spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center on May 30, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
They shared this argument after Tesla's CEO was asked by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Evette D. Pennypacker to testify.
However, Musk's lawyers argued that the billionaire should not be forced to attend an interview.
They added that Elon's public statements about the Tesla Autopilot software's capabilities should not be trusted since there's a chance they were deepfaked.
Elon Musk's Tesla Autopilot Statements are Deepfaked
According to The Verge's latest report, Musk's lawyers explained that the Tesla CEO could not recall some of his public statements about the Tesla Autopilot.
Elon Musk, founder and chief engineer of SpaceX, speaks at the 2020 Satellite Conference and Exhibition on March 9, 2020, in Washington, DC. Musk answered a range of questions relating to SpaceX projects during his appearance at the conference.
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These include the viral 2016 interview in which the billionaire claimed that the Tesla Model X and S are already capable of driving themselves.
Musk added that these EV models could drive with greater safety compared to human drivers.
Since Elon denied remembering making these public statements, his Tesla lawyers explained that the 2016 interview and other similar videos or audio recordings could be deepfakes.
They added that the billionaire is one of the well-known people who are commonly targeted by deepfake content.
Judge Pennypacker Now Concerned
Via Bloomberg, the California state judge said that the argument shared by Elon Musk's lawyers is "deeply troubling to the court."
"Their position is that because Mr. Musk is famous and might be more of a target for deep fakes, his public statements are immune," stated Pennypacker.
She added that the argument suggests that Elon and other individuals in his position can be allowed to say whatever they want to the public.
Pennypacker further stated that Musk and other popular people could just share any statement and hide from them by bringing up the deepfake argument.
As of writing, Elon and the court are still waiting for the actual trial of the lawsuit against Tesla.
It is expected to take place on July 31.
In other news, Elon Musk's Twitter post about the death of the Cash App founder was recently criticized by SFPD. Meanwhile, Elon Musk said that he would investigate the unfair Tesla bonus pay cuts in Giga Shanghai.
For more news updates about Elon Musk and other billionaires, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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