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Elon Musk’s recent unveiling of Tesla’s futuristic Cybercab at an event has ignited controversy, with accusations of design plagiarism emerging from the film industry. Alex Proyas, the director of the 2004 science fiction film I, Robot, has publicly claimed that Musk is replicating his aesthetic concepts for humanoid robots and self-driving cars.
During the Tesla event, Musk introduced the Cybercab, boasting features such as winged doors and a complete absence of steering wheels or pedals. The event showcased not only this innovative vehicle but also Tesla’s advancements in their Optimus robotic line. This display has led Proyas to position himself in a critical light, particularly in relation to Tesla’s theme and design choices, which playfully referenced Isaac Asimov’s “We, Robot.”
In a post on the social media platform X, Proyas challenged Musk directly, asking him to return what he claims are his designs. “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?” his message read, which has garnered over 6.4 million views. The Australian filmmaker further defended the originality of his film’s visual design during an exchange on Instagram, emphasizing that the creativity stemmed from a skilled design team, contrasting it with what he described as Musk’s team that may have taken inspiration from various films, including his own.
Patrick Tatopoulos, the production designer for I, Robot, supported Proyas by sharing a side-by-side comparison of the designs from the film and images from Musk’s presentation. He humorously suggested that it could be flattering for Musk to find inspiration in the work done for I, Robot, acknowledging the amusing aspects of the situation.
Online Reactions and Industry Insights
However, Proyas’s accusations have sparked a wave of skepticism among netizens, some of whom pointed out that his film itself drew heavily from earlier works. Various users referenced the iconic 1927 German expressionist film Metropolis, highlighting the cyclical nature of inspiration in the sci-fi genre.
This incident highlights a broader trend in the tech industry where innovations often appear to draw influence from science fiction narratives. Musk himself has previously stated that works such as Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which presents the character Marvin the Paranoid Android, have played a role in shaping his vision. Moreover, Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, is said to have been modeled after such concepts, reinforcing the interplay between sci-fi and technological advancement.
Further illustrating this phenomenon, Musk described Tesla’s Cybertruck as reminiscent of a futuristic military vehicle, akin to something from the Blade Runner universe. In a similar vein, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has discussed parallels between enhancements made to ChatGPT’s voice and a character portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the film Her, which led to an overhaul of their voice options in response to criticism.
This back-and-forth among filmmakers and tech innovators underscores not only the challenges of originality in design but also the intricate connections between cinematic visions and real-world technological aspirations.
Source
www.bbc.com