The director for I, Robot had a few words to say to Elon Musk after he unveiled Tesla’s future plans at the ‘We, Robot’ event last week.
On October 10, the tech mogul hosted the event at the Warner Bros. studio lot in California where he debuted Tesla‘s upcoming self-driving Cybercab, Robovan, and humanoid Optimus robots.
While the event’s line-up sparked mixed reactions, one thing a host of social media users seemed to agree on were the similarities between Musk‘s designs and the 2004 film I, Robot.
Tesla’s Optimus robots were perhaps the biggest talking point from the event (John Ricky/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Starring Will Smith, the sci-fi flick is set in 2035 and envisions a futuristic world where robots work in public service positions and operate under three laws to keep humans safe.
Shortly after Musk unveiled the Cybercab, Robovan, and Optimus robots, many were quick to note how similar they appeared to look to the robots and public transport in the film.
“The Elon Musk Tesla self-driving Robotaxi, Optimus humanoid Robot and Tesla Robo electric bus looks exactly like a movie I have watched some time ago,” one user wrote on Twitter atop side-by-side comparisons of Tesla’s products and stills from the film.
It now seems that the director of I, Robot, Alex Proyas, is also in agreement.
Some users noted that the Optimus robots looked seemingly similar to those in I, Robot (20th Century Studios)
He took to Twitter to call out Musk directly writing, “Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?,” alongside another side-by-side comparison of the designs.
Some social media users have seemed to come to Proyas’ defense, with one user writing on Reddit: “This was my immediate thought when the van rolled out. It looked just like the robot transport that attacked Will Smith in the tunnel.”
Another user wrote on Twitter: “The first thing I noticed about the Tesla event was the absolute lack of imagination to create anything that wasn’t directly out of a sci-fi movie.
“I didn’t realize how blatant the theft actually was.”
Meanwhile, others have come to Musk’s defense, however, with one user on Twitter noting: “Imagine thinking you invented the wheel [because] you once drew a circle.”
Musk also unveiled the Cybercab during the event (Tesla)
During the ‘We, Robot’ event, Musk unveiled his Optimus robots and described them as ‘your own personal R2-D2 [or] C-3PO.’
“What can it do? It can basically do anything you want,” he added. “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. Whatever you can think of, it will do.”
“I think this will be the biggest product ever, of any kind. I think everyone is going to want their Optimus buddy, maybe two,” he continued.
The price for the robots is expected to be between $20,000 and $30,000, according to The Wrap.
UNILAD has reached out to Tesla for comment.
Featured Image Credit: 20th Century Studios / John Ricky/Anadolu via Getty Images
When we imagine the future, towering sky-scrapers and self-driving cars usually top our lists.
We’ve already got bustling cities nailed down but pretty soon, driverless taxis could become commonplace.
Especially if Elon Musk has anything to do with it.
The billionaire tech giant unveiled Tesla’s self-driving robotaxi at his We, Robot event on Thursday night (October 10) in Burbank, California.
Musk also revealed the surprisingly low price the vehicles would go on sale for.
Dubbed the Cybercab, the bronze, futuristic-looking vehicle features two scissor doors, looking very similar to that of the wings of a bird.
But sit inside and you’ll find neither pedals nor a steering wheel as you’d usually expect.
The Tesla CEO suggested production on the Cybercabs would begin some time ‘before 2027.’
Car enthusiasts better not hold their breath, though, as Musk admitted: “I tend to be optimistic with time frames.”
The project has already been pushed back from August due to design changes Musk said he felt were important to make.
During his talk, Musk detailed the price the Cybercabs would go on sale for.
Elon Musk hopes Cybercabs will go into production ‘before 2027’ (Tesla)
He claimed they’d cost less than $30,000 (£23,000).
One of Tesla’s cheapest car models, for comparison, is the base Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive, starting at $38,990 (£29,837.88).
Responding to the Cybercab news on X, formerly Twitter, one fan wrote: “This indeed does look like the future”.
A second said: “I would buy the cyber cab for my day car.”
Not everyone was so enthusiastic however, with one person saying: “The idea of a driverless taxi is cool and I want to see it happen but god this design makes me never want to be in one, like why cant it just look like an actual car and not a car from I, Robot.”
The Cybertaxi will cost less than $30,000, according to Musk (Tesla)
Competing robotaxis are already in operation on some US roads, including the Waymo service, owned by Google parent company Alphabet.
The cabs use AI and machine learning to help calculate a safe route, ‘allowing the car to respond in real time to the evolving traffic environment,’ Google explains.
People in parts of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin.can access the service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Uber also reportedly wants to add more autonomous vehicles to its fleet. It confirmed a multi-year partnership with driverless car developer Cruise in back August.
Elsewhere, Chinese tech company Baidu is also looking to expand its robotaxi service, Apollo Go, beyond China.
From Ex Machina to I, Robot, there have been dozens of movies over the years about robots slowly taking over the world – but that isn’t stopping Elon Musk from making them.
Last night (October 10), the tech mogul hosted an event at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, to debut Tesla‘s new Robotaxi – AKA the Cybercab.
Musk shared his version of the taxi cab several years ago and had initially promised to have fleets of the vehicles on the streets by 2020, but this was pushed back, Car and Driver reported.
Tesla showed off its next generation of Optimus robots (Tesla)
The innovative cars rely on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software and, unlikely your typical car, it has no steering wheel or pedals.
Productions for these vehicles is expected to begin ‘before 2027’, as Musk himself put it.
But away from the Robotaxi was Tesla’s humanoid Optimus robots, which casually walked among those attending the event.
Musk has promised that the bots can do a range of tasks – from walking to the dog and watching the kids, to pouring you a drink and mowing the lawn.
He went on to hail his Optimus robots as ‘the biggest product ever of any kind’.
Musk further bragged that the humanoid tech will be a ‘fundamental transformation for civilization’, as per The Verge.
Price range wise, you’re looking at anything between $20,000 to $30,000 to get your hands on one (eventually).
During the event, people filmed their interactions with the dozens of Optimus robots roaming around and many have been left floored.
In one clip, one Optimus is see having a conversation with a man about where they both live.
Optimus is also asked what the hardest thing about being a robot is, to which it replied: “Urm, trying to be as human as you guys are. And that’s something I try harder to do everyday and I hope that you all help us become that.”
In another video, Optimus is seen sporting a cowboy hat and pouring guests at the event their drinks.
The bot then asks someone if they wanted to get a photo and flashed a peace sign as the party-goer took a selfie.
“This is insane,” one person replied to the video.
“That is so wild,” echoed someone else. “What got me is how naturally it responded when asked for a watermelon drink.”
A third went on: “This is some Fallout type s**t. Incredible.”
The future is here…
Elon Musk says he’s banning a feature on X which is being ‘abused for engagement farming’ and ‘making his eyes bleed.’
The SpaceX and Tesla CEO purchased the company, previously known as Twitter, in 2022.
He’s made a number of changes over those two years, most obviously to its name and logo.
Other alterations include making the verification blue tick available to premium subscribers and, more recently, hiding users’ liked posts from public view.
Back in April, Musk threatened to ‘suspend and trace to the source’ any accounts participating in engagement farming.
Elon Musk has vowed to crack down on the feature that he says makes his eyes ‘bleed’ (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
The practice refers to accounts using manipulative techniques to generate maximum interaction on their posts.
These could include posting content to provoke outrage or conversation, or even using specific meme formats.
Now, Musk is threatening to crack down on another tactic the accounts are using.
Taking to the platform on October 1, he said: “Due to immediate and excessive use of bold font on X, it will be removed from view in the main timeline.
“You will have to click on post details to see anything in bold. My eyes are bleeding.”
He added: “Same goes for italics and any other formatting. They are being abused for engagement farming”.
Musk’s post has been viewed more than 25 million times, receiving more than 120k likes and thousands of responses.
Most people were glad to hear about the change as one person said: “Thank you for preserving the aesthetics of X.”
A second added: “I ain’t even mad” as a third responded: “holy s**t he is doing something to improve the app” (sic).
Musk has made a number of changes to X, formerly Twitter, since taking over in 2022 (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Others weren’t even aware of the feature, with one person admitting: “I didn’t even know we could do that…Oh well.”
A second asked: “How do you even post in bold? I’m so behind.”
Yahoo! News previously reported that most of the time engagement farming is ‘done with individual accounts.’ Accounts may join influencer pods to raise each other’s engagement – the number of likes, shares and comments they get – on a larger scale.
This can include replicating popular meme formats, recycling content and follow-baiting – when accounts follow others en masse to increase their own follower account before unfollowing.
Most accounts are capped at following 5,000 people at once, until their own following increases.
It is not known when the bold font will be removed from main timelines on X. Musk has not shared any further details on tackling engagement farming.
Featured Image Credit: Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images / Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Topics: Elon Musk, Twitter, Social Media, News
Elon Musk has been slammed by Marlon Wayans, after the tech giant claimed his child was ‘dead’ to him after she transitioned.
The American actor and comedian ripped into Musk, after he made some extremely controversial comments about his trans child.
Vivian Wilson, Musk’s daughter, came out in 2022, and revealed that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with her dad.
Wayans has a trans son himself, so he wasn’t speaking about something he couldn’t relate to.
It’s clear that the way the two dealt with the situation is worlds apart.
Fayans slammed Musk. (Rich Polk/Variety via Getty Images)
Talking on the Club Shay Shay podcast, he trashed the Tesla creator for the way he had spoken publicly about his trans child.
He said: “I don’t like what he be saying about his trans child, that made me mad.
“You don’t treat them babies like that.
“You don’t disown your baby. Love your child!”
He added: “As hard as it was, I think that it’s not important.
“It’s important what you went through; the five steps of grief, but I think it’s important that you get to acceptance.
“And I’m proud to say it took me a week.
“And it felt like forever, it felt like five years.”
Speaking about how other parents might deal with a child transitioning, he continued: “I’m proud that I got there in a week.
“I’m sad to say, some parents and some family members and some people, it will take them a lifetime, and they’ll never get to that magical place that I’m at, which is just acceptance.
“It’s till my child, man. That’s my baby.”
Musk’s daughter has claimed she wants nothing to do with her dad. (Jared Siskin via Getty Images)
Musk opened up about their lack of relationship earlier this summer, with conspiracy theorist Jordan Peterson.
He claimed he ‘was essentially tricked into signing documents’ which enabled his daughter to go through with the procedures.
Repeatedly using the wrong pronouns and gender, he said: “I lost my son.
“They call it ‘deadnaming’ for a reason.
“The reason it’s called ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead.
“So my son is dead, killed by the woke mind virus.”
Wayans even said he has a Tesla that he is ‘about to drive over a cliff’, after comments the owner made.
Vivian was born in 2004 with her twin, Griffin, to Elon and Canadian author Justine Musk, who was married to Elon from 2000 to 2008.