During this year’s Super Bowl, residents of California, Delaware, Michigan, and Washington D.C. were exposed to a series of advertisements criticizing Tesla.
Contrary to what one might expect, these ads were not promoting Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company. Instead, they explicitly called for a boycott of Tesla.
If you didn’t catch these ads or live outside of those regions, you can find them embedded in Mashable’s coverage.
The group behind these anti-Tesla ads is The Dawn Project, an organization that advocates for “Making Computers Safe For Humanity.” This group has a longstanding history of targeting Tesla, with its website predominantly focused on criticizing the company and showcasing its two Super Bowl commercials.
Dan O’Dowd, a well-known tech entrepreneur and vocal Tesla critic, supports The Dawn Project.
According to a recent report by the Washington Post, O’Dowd spent a significant amount, around half a million dollars, to air the ‘Boycott Tesla’ ads in the targeted markets.
These ads have a noticeable impact on viewers
If this situation rings a bell, it’s because O’Dowd and The Dawn Project ran similar anti-Tesla ads during last year’s Super Bowl. Those ads highlighted instances where the company’s self-driving software led to concerning outcomes like bypassing school bus stop signs and causing accidents involving child-sized crash test dummies.
However, this time, The Dawn Project had real-life events to draw from. Shortly after last year’s ad aired, a Tesla on Autopilot struck a 17-year-old in North Carolina as he exited his bus, replicating the school bus scenario mentioned in the previous ads. The group’s Super Bowl ads this year notably address this incident.
The second ad from The Dawn Project is particularly impactful, emphasizing Tesla’s owner’s manual guidelines that specify safe areas for Autopilot usage.
The ad points out how Tesla evades liability in Autopilot-related accidents by referencing a disclaimer hidden in the manual stating that Autopilot is only safe on freeways. It also mentions the government’s recommendation for Tesla to restrict Autopilot to freeways, a request that Tesla declined.
The ad proceeds to discuss fatal accidents involving Teslas using Autopilot and criticizes the company’s refusal to comply with safety guidelines.
Some Tesla supporters have raised concerns about O’Dowd’s ties to Mobileye, a company that develops competing autonomous driving technology, casting doubt on his credibility. Previous reports have suggested that O’Dowd’s motives stem from genuine safety concerns about Tesla’s technology.
Despite the motives behind the message, the controversy surrounding Tesla and its Autopilot system continues to attract attention. Whether one agrees with the critique or not, it underscores the ongoing debate about the safety and ethics of self-driving technology.