Hollywood director Alex Proyas, known for his work on the 2004 sci-fi film I, Robot, has accused Elon Musk of copying design elements from the film for Tesla’s latest products.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Proyas shared side-by-side photos of his film’s robots and futuristic vehicles next to Musk’s Tesla Optimus robot and the newly unveiled Cybercab.
Proyas captioned the post, “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?” Referring to Tesla’s recently announced $30,000 two-seat Cybercab, which features butterfly-wing doors and lacks a steering wheel — and bears a striking resemblance to the self-driving cars in I, Robot, which was based on Isaac Asimov’s 1950 book that Bears the same name.
Musk also showed off an updated version of Tesla’s Optimus, a bipedal robot, which Proyas suggested mirrors the “NS-5” robots in his film that eventually turn against their human creators. The Tesla Cybercab is expected to enter mass production by 2026, and the Optimus robot is still under development as part of the company’s increasing focus on artificial intelligence and robotics.
However, some fans of the film were quick to point out that the car Will Smith drives in I, Robot was based on the Audi concept car included in the film as part of a product placement deal, making the accusation of copying less obvious. .
Set in the year 2035, I, Robot follows Smith, a detective wary of robots created to serve humanity, as he uncovers an AI-led plot to take over humanity. The film’s themes of technology, artificial intelligence, and potential human subjugation resonate with Musk’s warnings about the dangers posed by unbridled artificial intelligence.
Musk, a known fan of Asimov’s work, titled Tesla’s unveiling event “We, the Robot,” in honor of the author. Musk has previously credited Asimov’s writings with inspiring the creation of SpaceX, his space exploration company, and described the books as “really cool.”
While Proyas’ comments were made in a light-hearted tone, the similarities between Tesla’s new products and the futuristic designs in I, Robot sparked debate online. Whether intentional or coincidental, these similarities highlight the continuing influence of science fiction on real-world technological innovation.
Proyas, who also directed the hit film The Crow, is no stranger to telling sci-fi stories, but the question remains: Are Tesla’s designs a nod to his film, or just a case of life imitating art?