Tesla’s Optimus robot prompts “I, Robot” comparisons.

At Tesla’s recent We, Robot event, the company unveiled the latest iteration of its humanoid robot, Optimus, prompting instant comparisons to Sonny, the robot protagonist from the 2004 film. I, Robot.

Robot Optimus’ resemblance to Sonny seems intentional, as the event’s title underscores. Social media reactions to the presentation confirmed that the resemblance was not lost on Tesla’s audience, further fueling the sci-fi narrative that Elon Musk often embraces.

At the event, which also debuted the Cybercab, Optimus demonstrated its basic interaction capability, as seen in a viral clip shared on X, formerly Twitter, by user @cb_doge, who captioned the video : “A conversation between Tesla’s bot Optimus and a human is the best thing you’ll see on the internet today.”

In the video, Optimus chats with an assistant and asks, “Where are you from?” When the assistant later asks what the hardest part of being a robot is, Optimus replies, “Trying to learn to be as human as you guys? And that’s something I try harder every day to do.” Newsweek Tesla has been contacted by email for comment.

Social media lit up with more comparisons, with user X commenting on it I, Robot “It’s coming faster than we thought.”

Other observers drew connections between Tesla’s new Cybervan and robot transport vehicles I, Robot. “Tesla literally created iRobot’s ROBOT and VAN with Optimus and the RoboVan. #WeRobot,” one user wrote.

The humanoids inside I, Robot function in the near-future society of 2035, helping humans with everyday tasks. The protagonist, Sonny, is an advanced model capable of independent thought and emotion. Tesla’s Optimus, while far from possessing Sonny’s sensibility, evoked similar excitement for its possible future use cases.

Tesla has previously described Optimus as “a bipedal, general-purpose humanoid robot capable of performing unsafe, repetitive, or boring tasks.” At the Oct. 10 event, Musk said, “What can it do? It will do whatever you want it to do.”

“He can be a teacher, take care of your kids. He can walk your dog, mow your lawn, do the grocery shopping, just be your friend, serve drinks. Anything you can think of, he’ll do it,” he added.

“I think this will be the biggest product of any kind,” Musk continued.

While Optimus walked the crowd at We, Robot (talking to attendees, serving drinks, and even playing Rock, Paper, Scissors), no concrete details were given about his future availability.

Musk said he expected it would cost “less than a car,” adding, “You should be able to buy an Optimus robot for, I think, probably $20,000 to $30,000 in the long run.”

In June, Tesla said of the robot, “It’s already being tested in our factories,” and the company is hiring for 35 specialist positions in its Tesla Bot division, indicating progress with development of Optimus.

The robot’s design isn’t the first time Musk has drawn on science fiction for inspiration. The Cybertruck, which required a major recall earlier this month due to faulty rearview cameras, pays homage to several fictional vehicles, specifically the meaty and utility vehicles of Blade Runner and the DeLorean DMC-12 from Back to the Futurewhich also had an unpainted stainless steel body.

Musk himself has previously said that the Cybertruck was partially inspired by the Lotus Esprit sports car that was transformed into a submarine in the James Bond film. The spy who loved me.