Director accuses Tesla of plagiarism after We Robot show: 'Elon, may I have my designs back?'

chicago - The director of I, Robot accuses Elon Musk of plagiarism after Tesla's We Robot show, raising concerns over the ambitious plans for the Optimus robots.

Elon Musk beamed as he unveiled the new Optimus model during Tesla's We Robot show on Thursday.

According to the 53-year-old billionaire, the possibilities of this interactive machine are endless: 'It can be a teacher and take care of your children. But also walk your dog, mow the lawn, do the groceries, just be your friend and serve drinks. Whatever you can imagine, it can do.'

Ultimately, the robot is intended to be cheaper than an average car and fall within a price range of $20,000 to $30,000, so that 'everyone can have their own R2D2 (the famous robot from the Star Wars universe).'

'We Robot' seems to refer to the 2004 science fiction film I, Robot. The movie, starring Will Smith, is set in the 2035 Chicago, where robots are fully integrated into daily life.

I, Robot is based on the stories of science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who in the 1950s also devised the three laws of robotics. The most important one is to reassure humanity: robots should not be able to harm humans on their own.

Alex Proyas, the director of I, Robot, claims that 'We Robot' is more than just a reference and accuses Musk of plagiarism. He shares images of both the film and Tesla's latest robots, captioned: 'Elon, may I have my designs back?'

Although the similarities are undeniable, Proyas did not receive much support under his post. 'Clearly inspired, absolutely not plagiarism. Too bad you're sharing this,' a user commented. Another added: 'You were just fooling around on your computer, Elon actually built them.'

What was a prototype two years ago that couldn't walk independently can now serve drinks and play rock-paper-scissors. Just the beginning, as Musk suggests. He describes his humanoid androids as 'the biggest product ever' and anticipates that Tesla will eventually produce millions of units.

Musk has such high expectations for the Optimus robots that he predicts they will eventually surpass the value of Tesla's automotive activities, unless a possible plagiarism lawsuit thwarts his ambitious plans.

However slim that chance may seem.