Technology is often seen as leading the way, but sometimes problems arise—not from the tech itself, but from those behind it.
This was recently the case when director Alex Proyas took to Twitter to call out Elon Musk for something he did. Proyas, the director of the 2004 film I, Robot, was upset with Musk after he shared details about the upcoming “We, Robot” event.
The event took place on October 10 at Warner Bros. Studios. Musk showcased the new Cybercab and Robovan, which are self-driving, along with the humanoid Optimus robots. The event sparked mixed reactions, but there was one thing that caught people’s attention: the striking similarity between Musk’s robots and those seen in I, Robot.
The 2004 sci-fi movie, set in 2035, imagined a world where robots worked for people while following three laws to prevent harming humans. After Musk unveiled the Optimus robots, many social media users noticed the resemblance to the robots from the film. One user even commented, “The Elon Musk Tesla self-driving Robotaxi, Optimus humanoid Robot, and Tesla Robo electric bus looks exactly like a movie I watched some time ago.”
Alex Proyas also noticed the similarity. On Twitter, he posted a side-by-side image comparing the two, writing, “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?”
Many people agreed with him, pointing out the resemblance between the van in I, Robot and the Tesla van. However, others defended Musk, saying things like, “Imagine thinking you invented the wheel [because] you once drew a circle.”
It seems like the debate over whether Musk’s creations were inspired by the film will continue for a while.
