Hollywood director Alex Proyas, identified for his work on the 2004 sci-fi movie I, Robotic, has accused Elon Musk of copying design parts from the film for Tesla’s newest merchandise.
In a put up on X (previously Twitter), Proyas shared side-by-side photos of his movie’s robots and futuristic automobiles subsequent to Musk’s Tesla Optimus robotic and the newly revealed Cybercab.
Proyas captioned the put up, “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?” referencing Tesla’s not too long ago introduced $30,000 two-seater Cybercab, which options butterfly-wing doorways and lacks a steering wheel—bearing a hanging resemblance to the self-driving vehicles in I, Robotic, which was based mostly on Isaac Asimov’s 1950 e book of the identical identify.
Musk additionally showcased an up to date model of Tesla’s Optimus robotic, a bipedal humanoid robotic, which Proyas recommended mirrors the “NS-5” robots in his movie that finally flip towards their human creators. Tesla’s Cybercab is anticipated to enter mass manufacturing by 2026, and the Optimus robotic stays below improvement as a part of the corporate’s rising deal with AI and robotics.
Nevertheless, some followers of the movie have been fast to level out that the automobile pushed by Will Smith’s character in I, Robotic was based mostly on an Audi idea automobile included within the movie as a part of a product placement deal, making the accusation of imitation much less simple.
Set in 2035, I, Robotic follows Smith’s character, a detective cautious of robots created to serve humanity, as he uncovers an AI-driven conspiracy to manage mankind. The movie’s themes of expertise, AI, and potential human subjugation resonate with Musk’s personal warnings concerning the dangers posed by unchecked synthetic intelligence.
Musk, a identified admirer of Asimov’s work, titled Tesla’s unveiling occasion “We, Robot,” in homage to the writer. Musk has beforehand credited Asimov’s writings with inspiring the creation of SpaceX, his house exploration firm, and described the books as “really great.”
Whereas Proyas’ feedback have been made in a light-hearted tone, the similarities between Tesla’s new merchandise and the futuristic designs in I, Robotic have sparked on-line debate. Whether or not these resemblances are intentional or coincidental, they spotlight the continued affect of science fiction on real-world technological innovation.
Proyas, who additionally directed the cult hit The Crow, isn’t any stranger to sci-fi storytelling, however the query stays: are Tesla’s designs a nod to his movie, or is it merely a case of life imitating artwork?
Jamie Younger
Jamie is a seasoned enterprise journalist and Senior Reporter at Enterprise Issues, bringing over a decade of expertise in UK SME enterprise reporting.
Jamie holds a level in Enterprise Administration and frequently participates in trade conferences and workshops to remain on the forefront of rising tendencies.
When not reporting on the newest enterprise developments, Jamie is captivated with mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs, sharing their wealth of data to encourage the subsequent technology of enterprise leaders.
