After “I, Robot”, Elon Musk tries to plunder “Blade Runner 2049”

During his recent presentation show, the Tesla boss projected a spot whose aesthetic is reminiscent of the science fiction film. However, the producers had firmly opposed the use of images. They are suing Musk.

They had said no. The day before the We, Robot event dedicated to the Tesla car brand, the producers of the science fiction film Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve, were contacted. The organizers of this promotional operation wanted to use images from the film in their presentation spot, on the occasion of the release of the Robotaxi, an innovation from Elon Musk’s car brand. Out of the question. The production has no desire to be associated with “Tesla, X, Musk, and any company owned by Musk” because of “Musk’s arbitrary, erratic, highly political and excessive behavior that often turns into hate speech.”

What a surprise (or not) to discover the next day, during the show-style presentation of the Tesla boss, on October 10, a few seconds of digitally created images that take up the aesthetic of the feature film, and introduce a character whose features are not unlike those of Ryan Gosling, the hero of the film. If, in his speech, Elon Musk makes this dystopian vision a counter-model, the brief use of this reference will still earn him a lawsuit, the production company claimed, according to Variety.

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This is not the first time that Elon Musk has been accused of drawing inspiration from cinematographic works to fuel his storytelling. A month earlier, the prototype of his robot Optimus provoked a strong reaction from the director of I, Robot. “Hello Elon, can I have my drawings and designs back, please?” It is not the first time that technology has been shaped after a work of fiction or that reality has caught up with what science fiction has imagined. But the goal for Elon Musk is more to anchor his future products in pop culture by summoning an entire imaginary world with a simple design. Similarly, OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, had imagined using Scarlett Johansson’s voice. Faced with the actress’ refusal, it had created a similar voice using AI, before attracting the wrath of the actress and backpedaling. So much proof that works of fiction and flesh-and-blood actors still bring an extra touch of soul that the latest technologies are furiously seeking to obtain.