GOAL: Undermine Toyota’s "Electrified Diversified" greenwashing campaign through online and physical performances and subvertising.
SUCCESS: 6/10. Strong industry coverage clearly conveyed the point and amplified critiques, effectively undermining their ad campaign. However, all coverage was auto-industry focused; this should have received mainstream media attention as well.
These fell for the fake announcement or fake denial:
- Speech Tech (fooled): Toyota Unveils Interactive AI Assistant Electra (archive)
- Car Scoops (fooled): Toyota Unveils Electra, An AI Assistant That Helps Improve Fuel Efficiency | Carscoops (orig link)
- Car Scoops (fooled): Toyota’s Hacked AI Chat Electra Told Us Toyota Is Lying And Electrified Cars Are Dooming Mankind | Carscoops (orig link)
These covered the story:
- Jalopnik: Activist Group Fools Journalists With AI Hoax Criticizing Toyota’s Anti-EV Views (archive)
- Auto Digest: Toyota Unveils AI Assistant That Reduces the Environmental Impacts of Driving (orig link)
- Tech Times: Toyota's Eco-Conscious AI Copilot Focused on Greenwashing is Just a Prank | Tech Times (archive)
- Driving: Internet trickster's Toyota-branded chatbot spreads EV misinformation | Driving (archive)
- Electrek: Toyota's greenwashing AI 'eco-copilot' is fake, but the prank makes a real point (archive)
- Which Car: Fake chatbot poses as official Toyota AI, then attacks its EV strategy (orig link)