I, Robot Director: 'Hey Elon, Can I Have My Designs Back Please'

Elon Musk unveiled the Robotaxi, the Robovan, and humanoid robots at the "We, Robot" showcase last week—and it wasn't just the name that seemed very familiar to I, Robot director Alex Proyas. In a post on X, Proyas shared an image of vehicles and robots from the movie side-by-side with similar-looking products from the Musk event, asking, "Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?" The 2004 movie, set in 2035 Chicago, stars Will Smith as a detective who hates robots. It took its name from an Isaac Asimov short-story collection.

Patrick Tatopoulos, the film's production designer, shared the same image, saying, "Maybe it is just me, or should I feel honored that Elon found some inspiration in my I, Robot designs." Filmmaker Matt Granger, who worked with Proyas on I, Robot, said he also wished to offer a "full-fingered 'f--- you' to Elon and his utter lack of creativity," per the Hollywood Reporter. Commenters online told Proyas his movie was also derivative, noting similarities to the look of earlier films, including 1927's Metropolis, the BBC reports. The director told one critic that he had worked with a "very talented design team" —while Musk, "on the other hand has a not so talented design team who watched a lot of movies, including I, Robot it seems." (More Elon Musk stories.)