Tesla’s recent presentation titled "We, Robot" has hit a legal snag, with Alcon Entertainment, the production company behind Blade Runner 2049, filing a lawsuit against the electric car manufacturer and its CEO, Elon Musk, for alleged copyright violations.
During the high-profile event on October 10, Tesla debuted its new Cybercab and Robovan and introduced the latest version of its Optimus humanoid robot. The presentations were held at Warner Bros. Discovery Studios in Hollywood, where images presented during the event are claimed by Alcon to have been created using generative AI and incorporated still images from the vintage sci-fi film.
In its lawsuit, Alcon contends that just hours before the presentation began, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery requested permission to use "an iconic still image" from Blade Runner 2049. However, Alcon swiftly denied this request. In explaining its decision within the lawsuit, Alcon argued that any brand considering working with Tesla must weigh Musk’s often unpredictable behavior, which the company described as "massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary." The company voiced concerns about associating Blade Runner 2049 with Musk or Tesla, fearing potential reputational damage.
Following the rejection, Alcon alleges that Tesla fed content from Blade Runner 2049 into an AI image generator, resulting in a still image that was displayed on screen for ten seconds during the "We, Robot" live stream. Musk even referenced the movie during the event, expressing his aspiration for a "fun, exciting" future, in stark contrast to the dystopian themes found in many sci-fi narratives.
Alcon’s lawsuit also pointed out the ironic nature of Musk’s reference to Blade Runner 2049, as the film includes a “strikingly designed, artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car.” At this point, Tesla and Musk have not publicly addressed the allegations made by Alcon, and it remains unclear what damages the production company is seeking.