Last week, Tesla, the company led by Elon Musk, made a big splash by introducing two new autonomous vehicle prototypes: the Cybercab and the Robovan.
Following the event, attendees were invited to a cocktail party, but instead of being served by waiters, robots took on the job—a fitting touch for a tech company. This innovative approach quickly went viral, creating a buzz across social media. However, once people took a closer look, the excitement turned into mockery.
Upon further scrutiny of the vehicle designs presented by Elon Musk’s company, users couldn’t help but notice a striking similarity between these prototypes and the models featured in the 2004 sci-fi movie I, Robot, starring Will Smith.
I, Robot Director Accuses Elon Musk of Plagiarism
Adding fuel to the fire, Tesla had named the event “We, Robots,” a nod to the 1950 short story collection by Isaac Asimov, which served as the inspiration for the film. Many on social media pointed out how closely Tesla’s robot models resembled those from the movie, leading to immediate accusations of plagiarism against Elon Musk.
I Robot vs We Robot #Tesla pic.twitter.com/vpcwoc4FnH
— TheTeslaLife (@TheTeslaLife) October 12, 2024
Among the most notable comments on X (formerly known as Twitter) was one from I, Robot director Alex Proyas, who shared a side-by-side comparison of the designs and sent a direct message to Musk: “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) October 13, 2024
Filmmaker Matt Granger, who worked as Proyas’ assistant on I, Robot, also weighed in on the controversy: “I’d also like to give my ‘screw you’ with all fingers to Elon and his complete lack of creativity,” he remarked.
This article was originally written in Spanish by Daniel Matute in Cultura Coletiva.
