Tesla lawyers claim Elon Musk’s past statements about self-driving safety could just be deepfakes

Attorneys for automaker Tesla have argued that statements by Elon Musk concerning the capabilities of the corporate’s Autopilot software program can’t be trusted as they could possibly be deepfakes, in line with studies from Reuters and Bloomberg.

Tesla introduced this argument as a part of its justification as to why Musk shouldn’t be interviewed beneath oath for a lawsuit blaming the corporate for the loss of life of Apple engineer Walter Huang in a deadly crash in 2018.

Huang died whereas driving a Tesla Mannequin X, with attorneys for his household arguing Tesla’s driver help software program was at fault. The attorneys search to interview Musk relating to statements he made concerning the security of this software program. These embody an interview in 2016 by which Musk claimed that “a Mannequin S and Mannequin X, at this level, can drive autonomously with larger security than an individual.” (You’ll be able to watch Musk making this assertion in a YouTube video right here.)

Per Reuters, Tesla’s legal professionals said that Musk couldn’t recall particulars about such claims and that, “like many public figures, is the topic of many ‘deepfake’ movies and audio recordings that purport to indicate him saying and doing issues he by no means really stated or did.”

However the choose within the case stated this argument by Tesla’s legal professionals was “deeply troubling.”

“Their place is that as a result of Mr. Musk is known and is perhaps extra of a goal for deep fakes, his public statements are immune,” wrote Santa Clara County Superior Court docket Choose Evette D. Pennypacker. “In different phrases, Mr. Musk, and others in his place, can merely say no matter they like within the public area, then disguise behind the potential for his or her recorded statements being a deep pretend to keep away from taking possession of what they did really say and do.”

Choose Evette Pennypacker tentatively ordered that Musk give a restricted, three-hour deposition about these statements. Reuters notes that “California judges typically concern tentative rulings, that are virtually all the time finalized with few main modifications after such a listening to.” A listening to is scheduled for Thursday to finalize the deposition and the lawsuit is about to enter trial on July 31.