Famous Sci-Fi Director Accuses Elon Musk Of Stealing Robot Design
Director Alex Proyas has taken to X to get in on the mocking of Elon Musk for stealing his designs for robots and other elements from the 2004 film I, Robot. While Musk’s robots premiered at a launch party themed We, Robot after the Isaac Asimov short story series, the I, Robot director has noticed some striking similarities. The post on X displays some side-by-side comparisons between Musk’s prototypes and Proyas’ cinematic depictions, and there’s an undeniable resemblance between the two.
I,Robot Director Alex Proyas Calls Out Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s robots aren’t the only designs that have similarities with designs from I, Robot. His self-driving car, known as a Cybercab, with top-mounted doors, and his autonomous van also look a lot like elements from the film. While it’s common for futuristic designs to take inspiration from science fiction and other cultural influences, Proyas thinks that the Elon Musk robots, cars, and vans are a little too alike to be simply inspired by the film.
I,Robot Production Designer Agrees
Production designer Patrick Tatopolous got in on the conversation, posting the side-by-side images of the I, Robot stills next to Elon Musk’s robots and captioning his post with “Maybe it’s just me?”. Although he seems convinced that his designs are directly connected to Musk’s robots, he concluded his post by calling the whole thing “fun to watch.” While the feud seems to be a semi-serious critique, Tatopolous’ comments also seem to indicate that the jabs are in good fun.
Metropolis Came First
Although defenders of Elon Musk’s robots have referred to Fritz Lang’s cyborg from the 1927 German Sci-Fi film Metropolis, pointing out that robots have been copying each other in science fiction for some time, Proyas doesn’t seem convinced. Elon Musk has admitted to modeling his AI chatbot, Grok, at least partly after the Paranoid Android from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, so there’s some precedent for believing that the designs for his robots are connected to a science fiction work.
Cyber Truck Accused Of Stealing Designs
This isn’t the first time that Elon Musk has been accused of taking his designs from other places. When he filed for a patent for his Cyber Truck, several previous patents were referenced, including a sports car design from Lamborghini from 1979, other wedge-shaped pickups designed by Juan Javier Gaytan, and an off-road vehicle designed by Alain Clenet. Although Elon Musk likes to publicly announce his creativity as a designer and inventor, his process and his robots, like that of all innovators, rest on the shoulders of previous efforts.
Launched During The We, Robot Event
The name of the event at which Elon Musk unveiled his new Cybercab design, which featured his self-driving van and “Optimus” robots, was a clue to the inspiration for his designs. The Isaac Asimov stories from which the movie, I, Robot was adapted for the screen, were clearly the inspiration for an investor event titled, We, Robot. The parallel digs Elon’s hole a little deeper when attempting to defend against accusations of copying his designs since he’s basically publicly announcing his inspiration.
Elon Musk’s robots are set to launch in the next few years, with the Cybercab launching by 2026 according to Musk. His other robots don’t have hard release dates yet, but when “Optimus” goes to the public market, it will cost between $20,000 and $30,000 and is reported to have babysitting, friendship, and errands in its wheelhouse. Musk thinks his products will change the world, but designers from the I, Robot film might beg to differ.
