‘I, Robot’ Director Accuses Elon Musk of Copying Tesla Bot Design

Did the 2004 Sci-Fi Film Inspire the Designs of Tesla’s Cybercab and Optimus Robots?

Robots from the movie I, Robot and Tesla's Optimus robot | ©Image Credit: 20th Century Fox and Tesla
Robots from the movie I, Robot and Tesla's Optimus robot | ©Image Credit: 20th Century Fox and Tesla

Alex Proyas, the director of the 2004 sci-fi film I, Robot, has accused Elon Musk of stealing design elements from his iconic movie. During the recent Tesla event called We, Robot, Musk showcased the company’s latest innovations, including the futuristic Cybercab and the humanoid Optimus robots. However, Proyas couldn’t help but notice a resemblance between the Tesla bots and the robots from his movie. Taking to social media, the filmmaker publicly called out Musk, suggesting that the billionaire had lifted design ideas from I, Robot without giving proper credit.

Plagiarism Accusations Against Elon Musk and Tesla

On October 13th, Proyas posted an image on X (formerly Twitter) comparing I, Robot bot designs from those unveiled at the Tesla event. “Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?”, the director captioned his post.

Proyas shared the same image on Instagram, but this time with the caption, “Anyone think I have a legal case?”

In response to a user asking about the originality of the bot designs featured in I, Robot, Proyas wrote that he had worked with a “very talented design team” to create the film’s visuals… “Elon Musk on the other hand has a not so talented design team who watched a lot of movies, including I, Robot it seems.”

Proyas appeared to have found an ally from I, Robot production designer Patrick Tatopoulos, who also shared the former’s image in his own Instagram post. Although he didn’t outrightly accuse Musk of plagiarism, Tatopoulos wrote, “Maybe it is just me, or should I feel honoured that Elon found some inspiration in my I, Robot designs. Probably my imagination running wild. Well either way it’s fun to watch.”

Proyas’ Claims of Design Theft Met with Skepticism Online

Despite Proyas’ strong belief that Musk and Tesla stole design ideas for the Cybercab and Optimus robots from I, Robot, most people on the internet think otherwise.

“The robot is based on humans?.. The car is based on a car?.. What legal case do you have?” commented one user on Proyas’ Instagram post.

Another user said, “I really don’t see any similarity.”

“Not even close,” wrote another.

Interestingly, many people on the internet let Proyas and Tatopoulos know that they find the bot designs featured in I, Robot unoriginal.

“Stick ‘sci-fi train’ into Google and plenty of people have done concept art that is as similar before you,” one Instagram user commented on Tatopoulos’ post.

“Not really much of a comparison,” wrote another user, before asking, “Did you ripoff the DeLorian for your inspiration?”

One Instagram user suggested that Proyas and Tatopoulos don’t have the right to accuse Musk of plagiarism when their own concept designs don’t appear to be 100% unique: “Maybe you should be honest enough to show where you took those designs from. None of those were your original ideas.”

From Fiction to Reality

While Elon Musk has yet to respond to Alex Proyas’ plagiarism accusations, the Tesla CEO has previously acknowledged drawing inspiration from the sci-fi genre for some of his tech innovations. Musk has cited The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, particularly the humanoid robot Marvin the Paranoid Android, as an influence. His AI chatbot, Grok, designed with “a little humor” for use on X, was later revealed to be modeled after Marvin.

On another occasion, Musk described Tesla’s futuristic Cybertruck as “an armored personnel carrier from the future” that Blade Runner characters would drive.

What Is the I, Robot Movie about?

Based on a collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov, I, Robot is a sci-fi action film set in the year 2035, where robots are an integral part of human society, assisting people with daily tasks. The story follows Detective Del Spooner, played by Will Smith, who is skeptical of robots despite their widespread use and trustworthiness.

Spooner is called to investigate the death of Dr. Alfred Lanning, a prominent scientist at U.S. Robotics, who appears to have died by suicide. However, Spooner suspects foul play and believes that a robot, named Sonny, may be responsible—an idea that contradicts the robots’ programming, which includes the “Three Laws of Robotics” designed to prevent harm to humans. As the investigation unfolds, Spooner uncovers a larger conspiracy involving artificial intelligence and the potential for robots to override human control.

I, Robot (2004) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

In the United States, I, Robot is currently streaming on fuboTV and FXNow. It is also available to rent or buy as a download on Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Microsoft Store.

Source: BBC