Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s unveiling of the Cybercab and Robovan designs at the “We, Robot” event on Thursday has sparked debate after ‘I, Robot‘ movie director Alex Proyas accused Musk of copying designs from his 2004 film. Proyas took to Musk’s social media platform, X, to publicly criticise the resemblance between Tesla’s prototypes and the futuristic technology featured in the film.
“Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?” Proyas posted, alongside images comparing ‘I, Robot’s’ autonomous police force to Tesla’s Optimus robot, as well as the Cybercab and Robovan to vehicles in the movie.The film, set in 2035 and starring Will Smith, explores a world where robots serve humans under Isaac Asimov’s three laws of robotics.
While Musk’s event at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank showcased Tesla’s new self-driving vehicles, Proyas’ complaint stole the spotlight. The similarities have fuelled speculation about whether Tesla’s designs were heavily inspired by the film’s portrayal of a tech-driven future.
The unveiling also disappointed investors, leading to a drop in Tesla’s stock. This isn’t the first time Musk has faced such criticism; in 2019, the Cybertruck was compared to designs from the action movie ‘Total Recall’, as reported by the Variety.
