Tesla “We, Robot” Tech Movie Ripoffs? 👀 – CleanTechnica

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Clearly, Tesla’s “We, Robot” event was a reference to the 2004 film I, Robot. I haven’t even seen the film and I got that. Having not seen the film, though, I didn’t realize how similar some of it tech was to what Tesla unveiled. However, the movie’s director did realize it. And it doesn’t seem he was too pleased.

Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please? #ElonMusk #Elon_Musk pic.twitter.com/WPgxHevr6E

— Alex Proyas (@alex_proyas) October 13, 2024

Here’s the image if you can’t open that:

There’s a lot to unpack here.

First of all, of course, Tesla has a full design team. This team has created some of the best vehicle designs of the 21st century. They did their own thing to some degree….

But there are also clear similarities between each of these designs — Optimus, Cybervan, and Cybercab — and the I, Robot originals. That can’t be a coincidence, especially when you also consider that Elon Musk gave this even the name “We, Robot.” The degree to which they are similar is actually mind blowing. My eyes are still popping open. This just seems like an elaborate joke.

Elon Musk has shown in the past that he’s strongly influenced by, inspired by, and keen to reference iconic movies. He had the volume in the Tesla Model S go to 11, in reference to This is Spinal Tap. He gave the highest performance Model S and Model X trims the title “Plaid” in reference to Space Balls. Some elements of various movie vehicles influenced the Cybertruck’s design, especially a vehicle in Blade Runner. He also bought the submarine car from a James Bond film for $1 million. And, a story for another day, he has pretended he’s Dr. Evil. It’s clear that movies have made a strong impression on Musk, to the point that they’ve strongly influenced Tesla products.

That’s all well and good if it’s just fun and games, but is it more than that? Does Musk love the worlds in movies to much, or believe in them so much, that he’s spent a good part of his work at Tesla trying to recreate some of them, or plan for some of them? Does he view these worlds more as good forecasts and predictions than fanciful fun?

At the core, I have to wonder these days, does much of what Musk is trying to invent just come from his feelings when he was younger, enthralled in these stories and graphics, that these things should be possible and real?

I don’t know. It’s all a little wild to me. However, now I feel like I need to go and watch the movie I, Robot to fully understand what Musk has been envisioning and what he’s trying to create.

I’ve also long though that Musk’s allusions to certain popular movies have been ingenious, highly effective marketing ploys. When you can tap into a broad, strong cultural reference and feeling, you can move a lot of people in a positive way. But is Musk just easily enthralled by certain narratives and alternative worlds, and eager to jump into the storylines himself?

Honestly, I feel the references to I, Robot are a bit eery. I’m genuinely putting the movie on my weekend watch list.