People Can’t Stop Comparing Elon Musk’s New Tesla Robot Optimus to Will Smith’s Sci-Fi Cult Classic

Tesla’s latest update to its Optimus robot, an AI-powered humanoid, has drawn comparisons to Will Smith’s 2004 sci-fi film. I, Robot

On Thursday (October 10), during the company’s unveiling of its new Robotaxi, a fully autonomous vehicle, CEO Elon Musk also revealed the company’s new edition of the Tesla Bot.

Originally introduced in 2022, the bot has been updated to include faster walking speeds, improved hand mobility, and touch sensors.

In videos played at the event, Optimus was shown watering plants, carrying groceries and serving drinks.

“This is going to be the biggest product of any kind,” Musk boldly told the audience, predicting that once publicly available, the units would cost between $20,000 and $30,000.

“Less than one car is my prediction, long term. It’s going to take a minute to get to the long term,” Musk said, adding that the robot “will do whatever you want it to do.”

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

After the event, which was streamed live and then shared on X, people on social media were baffled by how similar the inventions were to those featured in the decades-old classic. I, Robot

Directed by Alex Proyas and starring Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Alan Tudyk and Bruce Greenwood, the film is set in 2035 amid a world filled with highly intelligent robots in public service positions designed to protect humans . However, after the death of the founder of the company, it is suspected that he was killed by one of the robots.

Smith plays a robo-skeptic detective who investigates the murder.

“Throughout the Tesla event all I could think about was I, Robot! Everything Tesla announced is almost identical to the movie,” one person tweeted.

“Growing up I, Robotmakes today’s hit different,” said a second, with a third writing: “Idk. That’s 40% cool, 60% kind of terrifying. 100% straight from the movie I, Robot.”

“Man, you won’t look I, Robot??? It’s literally unfolding before our eyes,” a quarter noted, while someone added: “After seeing what Musk revealed last night, I think it’s clear he’s seen. I, Robot too many times”.

Many others expressed fear about what robots would mean for the future of human-run industries.

“Anyone else wondering what our work landscape will look like with Optimus rolling?” one asked, and another added, “So what happens to the workers this thing displaces?”