Elon Musk’s new line of Tesla robots and vehicles has critics calling the billionaire a copycat.
The Tesla CEO is being accused of ripping off the designs and aesthetic of I, Robot, a 2004 sci-fi classic, for the company’s droid, called Optimus, and its two fully self-driving cars, the robovan and cybercab.
I, Robot director Alex Proyas called out Musk for allegedly copying him following Tesla’s “We, Robot” unveiling event for the new products on Oct. 10.
“Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?” he posted to X along with side-by-sides of Musk’s machines and stills from the film.
Tesla’s cybercabs are slated to go into production in 2027, and will reportedly cost up to $30,000, while the company’s Optimus robot will hit the market sooner than its vehicular counterparts. The bot is set to go on sale by the end of the year and will cost between $20,000 to $30,000.
Optimus, which was first announced in 2022, is said to be a humanoid companion that assists people with a number of tasks.
“It can be a teacher, babysit your kids, it can walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries, just be your friend, serve drinks,” Musk said at the “We, Robot” event. “Whatever you can think of, it will do.”
The droids mingled with guests, served drinks, and even spoke at the event. But, these features were largely for show.
According to attendee Robert Scoble, humans were “remote assisting” the robots. One droid, or the individual “assisting” it, even told a partygoer “Today, I am assisted by a human,” continuing that it was not fully autonomous. The machines, however, used AI to walk.
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