Tesla's Elon Musk Sued for Using Blade Runner 2049 Imagery

Oh boy, Elon Musk is in hot water again! The folks behind the 2017 sci-fi flick "Blade Runner 2049" have taken the tech billionaire and his company, Tesla, to court. They claim Musk and Tesla used images from the movie without permission to promote their new robotaxi, the Cybercab. The legal battle involves Alcon Entertainment, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Alcon says Musk and Tesla got denied permission to use "Blade Runner 2049" imagery and instead fed the movie’s images into an AI to create similar ones. They even allegedly tried to pass off the AI-generated image as an actual still from the movie. Alcon isn't happy about this and wants to distance themselves from Musk, citing his controversial political and social views. Musk unveiled the Cybercab and a "robovan" on October 11. He said the self-driving taxis will cost less than $30, 000 and be in production in three years. However, investors weren't impressed, and Tesla stock dropped 8% the next day. Musk has previously mentioned "Blade Runner" as an inspiration for his tech. He even compared Tesla's Cybertruck to a vehicle from the movie. Interestingly, Alex Proyas, the director of "I, Robot, " also criticized Musk for similarities between Tesla's designs and his film. Musk seems to have a thing for sci-fi movies! "Blade Runner 2049" was a hit when it came out in 2017, directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford. The movie is set in a futuristic, high-tech society. Alcon's lawsuit suggests Musk's reference to the movie in his presentation was no accident, given its autonomous car theme.