Well, it seems we’ve been taken for a ride with Toyota’s purported AI chatbot, Electra, and an alleged hacking incident. However, none of it was real, and it’s time for us to hold our hands up and admit our blunder in falling for this elaborate scheme, crafted to cast a shadow on Toyota’s hybrid lineup and its EV strategy.
We had questions from the get-go and contacted both a Toyota spokesperson and the supposed press release contact. Unfortunately, the first responder turned out to be one of those hoaxsters. As we dug into the details, like the unusual URL structure of the press release website (pressroom-toyota.com instead of the usual pressroom.toyota.com) and the Electra site (electrified-toyota.com), it was clear something was off. Eventually, a genuine Toyota representative did get in touch to address our concerns and confirm it was all “a very elaborate hoax.”
More: Toyota Throws Gasoline On ICE vs EV Debate, Why Go All Electric When We Can Do Both?
Evidently, it seems the warriors behind this charade aren’t stopping there. Besides dispatching cloaked press emails and creating spoof websites, they’ve taken it up a notch with an obviously staged video from a supposed Toyota conference at the Washington Auto Show. It’s replete with actors, or at least individuals affiliated with the same group orchestrating this attack on Toyota’s EV strategy. In this dramatic performance, the AI Chatbot presentation goes hilariously awry, with one of the speakers even collapsing.
They’re even opening several threads on social media sites, including Reddit, to get the word around. Well, if anything, we have to admit, they’re a pretty dedicated and creative bunch.
We reached out to Toyota for a comment on the ongoing Electra AI shenanigans, but they informed us that they have “nothing more to add at this time”.
Who did it?
As for who ‘s behind this, it’s an activist group called the Yes Men. The campaign against Toyota bears many similarities to the ‘EcoWarrior’ Barbie hoax against Mattel last August, organized by the”Barbie Liberation Organization” (BLO). That campaign managed to deceive several media outlets, employing a similar strategy with fake press releases, fabricated media websites, and even an advertisement featuring actor and environmental activist Daryl Hannah.
According to a report from The Cut, the BLO “is an offshoot of political activist group the Yes Men, founded by Igor Vamos and Jacques Servin (also known by their respective alter egos Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum). Active since 2002, the pair are known for organizing elaborate pranks against political figures and corporate entities, including George W. Bush, ExxonMobil, and the World Trade Organization, to name a few”.
We’ll continue our investigation and update our report if we uncover more details.
