Hollywood Director Accuses Elon Musk of Stealing Tesla Robot & Cybercab Designs
Hollywood director Alex Proyas, known for his work on the 2004 sci-fi film I, Robot, has accused Elon Musk of copying design elements from the movie for Tesla’s latest products.
Proyas Fires Back at Elon Musk Over Robot Design
In a cheeky twist on the tech‑junkie gossip feed, Guillermo Proyas, the mastermind behind I, Robot, dropped a photo collage on X (formerly Twitter) that pits his movie’s creepy robots and slick hover‑craft side‑by‑side with Elon Musk’s Tesla Optimus and the brand‑new Cybercab.
“Hey Elon, can I have my designs back, please?”
Proyas’ tweet, paired with a snappy caption, reads: “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back, please?” The exchange is a playful jab at Tesla’s $30,000 for‑hire two‑seater Cybercab, which flaunts butterfly‑wing doors, no steering wheel, and looks eerily like the self‑driving machines from Isaac Asimov’s classic straight‑in‑to‑the‑future novel that inspired the film.
Robots That Turn Against Their Creators
The post also shows Musk unveiling a new iteration of the Optimus humanoid robot—a sleek, bipedal bot that, according to Proyas, mirrors the NS‑5 droids that go rogue in his movie. Proyas’ subtle dig: “These are the same drones I’d never want in my house!”
What’s on the Horizon?
- Cybercab: slated to hit mass production by 2026—yes, 2026. Get ready to pay $30k for a car that feels more like a fancy sculpture than a vehicle.
- Optimus: still in the labs—so far it can’t pick up a coffee mug. Still showing a strong appetite for AI and robotics.
Whether this is a friendly, humor‑laden poke or a sharp exchange of artistic rights, it’s clear that the robotic sky’s still a battleground. And hey—if you’re watching the films and the tech side‑by‑side, you’ll know who’s got the better set of eyes on the future—both fancy design and real‑world feasibility.
When Tesla and I, Robot Share the Same Dreamscape
Guess Which Car Was the Real Hollywood Pick?
When Will Smith’s detective in I, Robot pulls up in that sleek, futuristic ride, some fans noticed the car looks eerily like the Audi concept that actually hit the screen as a product‑placement cameo. So the whole “copycat” debate got a little more complicated: it wasn’t just a low‑budget homage; the film’s own prop was a real car made for the movies!
Future‑Tech Classic Meets Modern Reality
Set in 2035, I, Robot follows Smith’s character—a skeptical cop who’s skeptical of the bots meant to serve humanity. He digs into a shadowy AI plot that plans to turn humans into human‑free drones. The story’s warning about the risks of runaway tech lines up perfectly with Elon Musk’s own cautionary remarks about unchecked artificial intelligence.
Musk’s Love for Asimov (and the Tesla Sneak Peek)
Elon, a self‑declared fan of Isaac Asimov, dubbed Tesla’s latest unveiling event “We, Robot”—a tongue‑in‑cheek nod to the classic author. In private chats, he even credits Asimov’s novels with sparking the birth of SpaceX and laughs that the books are “really great.” So the homage is almost official in a way: the guy who runs a company that plugs into the future is also secretly thanking the science‑fiction legend who wrote the blueprint.
The Debate Goes Viral
- Proyas, the director of The Crow and a sci‑fi veteran, chuckled about the similarities between Tesla’s new hardware and the neon‑bright designs from I, Robot.
- Online fans are buzzing: have Tesla’s slick gadgets the same brain as the movie’s visual lexicon, or are they a by‑chance match?
- Either way, the conversation shows that the line between science fiction and real‑world tech is blurry as ever.
Life, or Art, Imlies the Other?
Is Tesla’s cutting‑edge lineup a sly wink to Proyas’s cinematographic vision, or did both simply strut from the same creative place? The answer may stay unknown, but one thing is clear: the future is getting a little more dramatic, and the screen is getting a lot more real.
