Tesla’s Robovan may operate autonomously, but according to one sci-fi director, Elon Musk doesn’t.
Musk on Thursday presented Tesla’s latest prototypes for its autonomous electric bus, the self-driving Cybercab and robotic humanoid Optimus, a.k.a. Tesla bot. But the automotive executive’s purported state-of-the-art designs bear a striking resemblance to those from a sci-fi film released two decades ago.
“I, Robot” director Alex Proyas mocked Musk for the alleged rip-off in a Sunday X post, comparing images from his 2004 film and a trio of new Tesla products side by side. The products were unveiled at last week’s “We, Robot” event — whose title clearly alludes to the Isaac Asimov short-story collection on which Proyas’ film is based.
“Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?” Proyas wrote, to mixed reception.
“Elon has no ideas of his own … and no leadership ability,” one user replied.
“Be happy that somebody will actually have a decent shot at putting this into production. We all know that you wouldn’t,” another countered.
Representatives for Proyas and Musk did not reply immediately to The Times’ request for comment Monday.
It’s not the first instance of a Tesla product resembling a design from a film set in the future, Deadline reported. In 2019, the Cybertruck was compared by some to a sleek steel car from Paul Verhoeven’s “Total Recall.”
But life has imitated sci-fi art on multiple occasions. Pixar’s “Wall-E” is mirrored in recent refuse-collecting robots, and wireless ear buds work much like the thimble radios in “Fahrenheit 451.”
During Thursday’s event, which was initially scheduled for August but was postponed as the tech was tweaked, Musk declared his intent to revolutionize travel with his self-driving taxi and van, adding that Tesla would have fully autonomous vehicles on the road by next year.
The Space X founder also said his Optimus robots, which flashed peace signs and served drinks to attendees, would make goods and services less expensive and more accessible, The Times reported Friday.
“It will be an age of abundance, the likes of which almost no one has envisioned,” Musk told the crowd.
Investors, however, seem to be skeptical of Musk’s ambitious plan. As of Friday, shares of Tesla stock were trading at about $219.50, down 8% on the day.