Tesla’s ventures often ignite excitement and, sometimes, a bit of skepticism. Its latest presentation was no exception.

Earlier this month, at Tesla’s Cybercab Robotaxi event at the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank, the company revealed the latest iterations of its futuristic robot fleet: Optimus (the Tesla Bot), a Robovan, and the Robotaxi. Shortly after Alcon Entertainment sued Telsa and Musk for copyright infringement over depictions of the film Balderunner 2049 appearing at the event with out permission. Since then more people have responded to the Cybercab Robotaxi event. 

Several people noted that Tesla’s robotic creations seemed to draw heavy inspiration from the 2004 sci-fi film I, Robot, starring Will Smith. The director of I, Robot, Alex Proyas had something to say about it.

Optimus, the humanoid robot, shares striking similarities with the NS5 robots from I, Robot. The Robovan—a self-driving vehicle—resembles the robot delivery van in the movie, and even the Robotaxi looks strikingly similar to the futuristic Audi RSQ driven by Will Smith’s character.

It wasn’t long before social media buzz turned to mockery, with memes and jokes flooding platforms like X (formerly Twitter).  Alex Proyas himself chimed in, playfully jabbing at Tesla and Musk, tweeting, “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?” 

Elon Musk, known for his interesting innovations, has long been a controversial figure. His journey with Tesla, SpaceX, and other companies pushes the boundaries of what’s possible, but the man has faced his share of criticisms. While Musk is often celebrated for his forward-thinking vision, there’s no denying that moments like this—when Tesla’s newest robots seem to mirror a nearly 20-year-old film—make him a target for those who question his originality.

So, while Tesla may be leading the charge into the future, it looks like Elon Musk might need to give credit where it’s due—or at least acknowledge that I, Robot may have gotten there first.