‘Blade Runner 2049’ Makers Build Elon Musk, Tesla On Robotaxi AI Images

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The production company behind the 2017 sci-fi film “Blade Runner 2049” sued Elon Musk and Tesla in federal court on Monday, claiming that they fed images from the film, without permission, into an AI generator to power the Tesla Cybercab.

Elon Musk invited “Blade Runner” to Tesla’s Cybercab demonstration on Oct. 10. (Photo by Anna … [+] (Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Important Points

Alcon Entertainment filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court on Monday, naming Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery-distributor “Blade Runner 2049,” which also led to Tesla’s “robotaxi” announced at its location in Burbank, California – as critics.

Alcon says Musk and Tesla asked for, and were denied, permission to use footage from “Blade Runner 2049” for a demonstration of Tesla’s Cybercab earlier this month, and instead fed images from the film into an AI generator to create similar images.

The production company also said that Warner Bros. does not have the rights to “Blade Runner 2049” and said that the company should have been legally required to ask for Alcon’s permission to use images from the film in the Tesla presentation, which Alcon says it did not do.

Alcon says Musk and Tesla want to release an AI-generated image, which it says was on display for 11 seconds, as if it were from “Blade Runner,” citing comments Musk made while the image was on display: “You know, I love ‘Blade Runner,'” Musk said, before explaining how his Cybercab is much smaller than the movie.

The lawsuit accused Musk of being a “problem” and said Alcon did not want to associate with the billionaire who has made headlines in support of former President Donald Trump – because of his “political and social views”.

The First Secret

Musk unveiled Tesla’s Cybercab at the Oct. 11. Musk, who has long promised self-driving technology but often misses the deadline, said self-driving taxis will be developed in three years. The taxis have no steering wheel or pedals, and Musk said they will be priced under $30,000. He also introduced a “robovan” that he says can carry 20 people. But investors and experts seemed unimpressed by his announcement: Tesla stock fell 8% the next morning, and some analysts said that Musk’s offer was short on details and lacked a solid timeline. Musk has previously cited “Blade Runner” as the inspiration for his Tesla technology. In a 2023 tweet, he called Tesla’s Cybertruck “the weapon carrier of the future — one that Bladerunner would drive.” In another tweet earlier that year, Musk said Cybertrucks “made Bladerunner.”

Amazing Facts

Alex Proyas, the director of “I, Robot” (2004), also called out Musk for the similarity between Tesla’s design and his science fiction film. “Hey Elon, can I get my design back?” Proyas posted on X last week, comparing Tesla cars side-by-side with the humanoid “Optimus” robot along with his movie robots. Matt Granger, Proyas’ assistant on “I, Robot,” said in a tweet that appears to have been deleted: “I also want to give my ‘f *ck you’ all the fingers to Elon and his lack of intelligence,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Tangent

“Blade Runner 2049” opened in theaters in October 2017, directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford. The film, the sequel to “Blade Runner” (1982), was a huge success and won two Academy Awards. The film is set in a dystopian society, modern technology. Alcon said in his lawsuit against Musk that it was “no coincidence” that he chose to refer to “Blade Runner 2049” in his presentation, as the film has “an incredibly well-designed, intelligent, autonomous vehicle.”

Forbes Valuation

Forbes estimates that Musk is worth $245.8 billion as of Monday afternoon, making him the world’s richest person. Musk owns about 12% of Tesla and 42% of his own spacecraft company, SpaceX.