Elon Musk unveiled the latest version of his “Optimus” robots at a flashy Tesla event last week; here it also unveiled its long-awaited Cybercabs and the never-before-seen 20-passenger driverless Robovan. After images of the prototypes hit the skeptical internet, I, Robot director Alex Proyas pointed out that Musk's new robots perhaps look a little too familiar.
Proyas directed the 2004 science fiction action film, named after the 1950 short story collection by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. In the film, set in Chicago in 2035, Will Smith plays a homicide detective who does not trust humanoid robots created to serve humanity. It is worth noting that Musk will have his robots serve drinks and play rock-paper-scissors with the guests at the event, where Tesla can attend only for guests.
As one social media account pointed out, the film's impact on Musk's latest creations, including not just bots but new vehicles, was not subtle. (The robots themselves are named after the Transformers character of the same name.) We cannot help but mention that Musk literally called his event “We, Robot”.
I Robot vs We Robot #Tesla pic.twitter.com/vpcwoc4FnH
— TheTeslaLife (@TheTeslaLife) 12 October 2024
Naming your AI-based event after a warning film about the dangers of AI may seem a bit far-fetched, but when has that stopped Musk before? Either way, Proyas didn't hold back in calling attention to the allegations of counterfeiting, posting on Musk's own X platform: “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?”
Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please? #ElonMusk #Elon_Musk pic.twitter.com/WPgxHevr6E
— Alex Proyas (@alex_proyas) 13 October 2024
But this coup was more limited than that of filmmaker Matt Granger, who worked as Proyas' assistant. I, Robot. Per Hollywood ReporterIn an