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‘I, Robot’ director accuses Musk of stealing his robot and vehicle designs

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Director Alex Proyas accused Tesla of copying robot and vehicle designs from his 2004 film “I, Robot” for the company’s latest autonomous products. Proyas, who led the Will Smith-starring sci-fi movie, took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, after Tesla’s recent “We, Robot” event, saying, “Can I have my designs back please?”

Tesla’s event featured the unveiling of the Optimus robot, a two-seater Cybercab and a Robovan, which can transport up to 20 passengers.

The initial excitement from fans quickly turned into criticism as many pointed out the similarities between Tesla’s new designs and those from “I, Robot.” Optimus was compared to the film’s NS5 robots, while the Robotaxi drew parallels to the futuristic Audi RSQ.

Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, highlighted the affordability of autonomous driving at the event, saying the Cybercab could eventually cost around $0.20 per mile. However, this vision has been delayed before, with Musk originally promising fleets of autonomous robotaxis on the road by 2020.

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Tesla’s push for autonomous vehicles has faced numerous challenges. The Cybercab, which lacks steering wheels and pedals, may encounter regulatory hurdles similar to those that have plagued other autonomous vehicle projects.

Additionally, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software, which relies only on cameras, still requires human intervention despite years of development and testing.

Proyas’ public criticism has reignited conversations about the intersection of science fiction and real-world technology. The debate centers on whether Tesla’s designs are a tribute to or a direct imitation of “I, Robot.” Meanwhile, Tesla’s goal of fully autonomous transportation remains in progress, with production of the Cybercab expected by 2026.

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[JACK AYLMER]

THE DIRECTOR OF THE HIT SCIFI FILM ‘I, ROBOT’ IS TAKING AIM AT ELON MUSK, ACCUSING TESLA OF COPYING ROBOT AND VEHICLE DESIGNS FROM HIS 2004 FILM FOR THE COMPANY’S NEW LINEUP OF AUTONOMOUS PRODUCTS.

AFTER TESLA’S UNVEILING OF THE OPTIMUS ROBOT, ROBOTAXI, AND ROBOVAN AT THE “WE, ROBOT” EVENT, ALEX PROYAS POSTED ON X, “CAN I HAVE MY DESIGNS BACK PLEASE?”

TESLA’S EVENT SHOWCASED ITS LATEST INNOVATIONS, INCLUDING THE CYBERCAB, A SLEEKER, TWO-SEATER VERSION OF THE CYBERTRUCK, AND THE ROBOVAN, WHICH CAN TRANSPORT UP TO 20 PASSENGERS.

WHILE MUSK’S BOLD CLAIMS ABOUT THE AFFORDABILITY OF AUTONOMOUS DRIVING—PROJECTING THE CYBERCAB’S COST AT JUST 20-CENTS A MILE – EXCITED MANY FANS, THE INTERNET QUICKLY NOTICED THE STRIKING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN TESLA’S DESIGNS AND THOSE IN I, ROBOT. OPTIMUS WAS COMPARED TO THE FILM’S NS5 ROBOTS, WHILE THE ROBOTAXI CLOSELY RESEMBLED THE AUDI RSQ FEATURED ON SCREEN.

TESLA’S PUSH TOWARD AUTONOMOUS TECHNOLOGY DATES BACK TO MUSK’S 2019 PROMISES OF SELF-DRIVING ROBOTAXIS HITTING THE ROADS WITHIN A YEAR. HOWEVER, THOSE PREDICTIONS HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY DELAYED. THE CYBERCAB NOW REPRESENTS A KEY PART OF TESLA’S VISION TO RUN A RIDE-HAILING FLEET, SIMILAR TO UBER, BUT USING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES.

DESPITE THE FANFARE, TESLA FACES SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES IN COMMERCIALIZATION THE CYBERCAB, WHICH LACKS STEERING WHEELS AND PEDALS, COULD FACE REGULATORY OBSTACLES, AS SIMILAR VEHICLES HAVE STRUGGLED TO GAIN APPROVAL IN THE U.S.

TESLA MUST ALSO PROVE THAT ITS AUTONOMOUS DRIVING SOFTWARE, WHICH RELIES SOLELY ON CAMERAS, CAN OPERATE SAFELY WITHOUT HUMAN INTERVENTION—AN ACHIEVEMENT IT HAS YET TO REACH DESPITE YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT.

THE DEBATE OVER WHETHER TESLA’S DESIGNS ARE AN HOMAGE TO OR A DIRECT IMITATION OF I, ROBOT HAS SPARKED BROADER DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCIENCE FICTION AND REAL-WORLD TECHNOLOGY. IN THE MEANTIME, TESLA’S VISION OF FULLY AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORT REMAINS A WORK IN PROGRESS, WITH PRODUCTION OF THE CYBERCAB EXPECTED TO BEGIN BY 2026.