Elon Musk recently hosted Tesla’s “We, Robot” event, where he unveiled the company’s latest tech toys—a self-driving car and humanoid robots, naturally. The Cybercab, an autonomous vehicle with fancy winged doors and no steering wheel or pedals, took center stage. Because who needs those old-fashioned controls, right? Alongside it, Musk showed off updated Optimus robots, Tesla’s version of humanoid helpers that are edging closer to the sci-fi future many have been dreaming (or dreading).

While the tech world buzzed over the new unveilings, a certain filmmaker couldn’t help but notice that some of these futuristic designs looked… familiar.

Did Tesla Watch I, Robot? Alex Proyas Thinks So

Alex Proyas, director of the 2004 sci-fi thriller I, Robot, decided to share his thoughts on what he saw as Tesla’s “inspired” designs. In the movie, Will Smith plays a detective who’s suspicious of AI—a plotline that may feel a little too on the nose right now—and the robots featured in it became iconic for their sleek, humanoid appearance.

Proyas, never one to miss a chance for a little fun, hopped on X (formerly Twitter) and sent a playful jab to Musk: “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?” The post racked up millions of views as others chimed in, either backing Proyas or just enjoying the spectacle. Proyas later doubled down on Instagram, where he hinted that Tesla’s design team might’ve spent more time binge-watching his movie than creating original concepts. Ouch.

I, Robot Design Team Joins the Party

Proyas wasn’t the only one raising an eyebrow. Patrick Tatopoulos, the production designer responsible for I, Robot’s futuristic look, threw his hat into the ring as well. Posting a cheeky side-by-side comparison of Tesla’s robots and those from the movie, Tatopoulos commented, “Maybe it’s just me, or should I feel honored that Elon found some inspiration in my I, Robot designs?”

While the comments were lighthearted, the message was clear: the resemblance between Tesla’s new tech and Hollywood’s take on AI-driven robots didn’t go unnoticed. As for Musk? True to form, he hasn’t bothered to respond, staying laser-focused on what he does best—shaping the future of AI, one sci-fi trope at a time.

Sci-Fi and Tech: A Match Made in Hollywood

Of course, the marriage between sci-fi and real-world tech is nothing new. Ironically, I, Robot itself isn’t exactly immune to accusations of borrowing. After Proyas’ remarks, some eagle-eyed fans were quick to post images from Metropolis (1927), pointing out that the movie’s robot design might’ve laid the groundwork for just about every humanoid machine that followed—including those in I, Robot. Whoops.

This whole back-and-forth taps into a bigger trend: the more advanced tech gets, the more it seems to echo sci-fi. Musk has never been shy about this, openly naming The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as an influence on his quirky Cybertruck, and modeling his AI chatbot Grok after a character from the same series. Musk even called the Cybertruck something “Bladerunner would have driven,” because, of course, what’s a cutting-edge vehicle without a dystopian vibe?

OpenAI’s Sam Altman got a taste of this himself earlier this year when his company’s voice model for ChatGPT—dubbed “Sky”—was called out for sounding suspiciously like Scarlett Johansson’s character from Her. After some pushback, OpenAI quietly removed the voice, insisting it wasn’t trying to recreate Johansson’s performance. The actress wasn’t exactly thrilled, though, clearly not a fan of the whole “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” thing.

Where Does Innovation End and Imitation Begin?

As tech giants like Tesla and OpenAI continue to blur the line between fiction and reality, it’s easy to see why these “inspirations” pop up. Whether Tesla’s latest designs were directly influenced by I, Robot or just followed the natural progression of futuristic aesthetics, we may never know. But one thing’s for sure—science fiction and real-world tech are like that odd couple who always show up to the party together, each pushing the other to go just a little further.