Tesla attorneys declare Elon Musk’s previous statements about self-driving security might simply be deepfakes

Legal professionals for automaker Tesla have argued that statements by Elon Musk in regards to the capabilities of the corporate’s Autopilot software program can’t be trusted as they could possibly be deepfakes, in keeping with reviews from Reuters and Bloomberg.

Tesla offered this argument as a part of its justification as to why Musk shouldn’t be interviewed beneath oath for a lawsuit blaming the company 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 concerning statements he made in regards to the security of this software program. These embody an interview in 2016 wherein Musk claimed that “a Mannequin S and Mannequin X, at this level, can drive autonomously with higher security than an individual.” (You possibly can watch Musk making this assertion in a YouTube video here.)

Per Reuters, Tesla’s attorneys 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 mentioned or did.”

However the choose within the case mentioned this argument by Tesla’s attorneys was “deeply troubling.”

“Their place is that as a result of Mr. Musk is legendary and could be extra of a goal for deep fakes, his public statements are immune,” wrote Santa Clara County Superior Court docket Decide 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 conceal 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.”

Decide Evette Pennypacker tentatively ordered that Musk give a restricted, three-hour deposition about these statements. Reuters notes that “California judges usually problem 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 ready to enter trial on July 31.