‘Blade Runner 2049’ producers sue Elon Musk over AI image

You May Be Interested In:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fires his defense minister, Yoav Gallant


LOS ANGELES — A film production company that helped make “Blade Runner 2049” has sued Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk for using an AI-generated image resembling a scene from the science fiction movie to market Tesla’s new robotaxis.

Alcon Entertainment said it refused all permissions but Tesla allegedly used artificial intelligence to “do it all anyway” when the carmaker unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi on Oct. 10 during a live-streamed event at a Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, California.

After pulling up to the stage in one of the company’s “Cybercabs,” Musk gave a speech that included a brief reference to the movie franchise. As he spoke, a screen showed an image of a man in a long coat looking over an orange-tinted ruined city. Alcon claims it resembles a key scene in which star Ryan Gosling arrives by “quasi-sentient flying car” to an abandoned Las Vegas.

“I love Blade Runner, but I don’t know if we want that future,” Musk said. “I think we want that duster he’s wearing, but not the bleak apocalypse.”

A copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Alcon this week in a Southern California federal court alleges that defendants had asked permission to use images from the movie “mere hours” before the event but Alcon “refused all permissions and adamantly objected.”

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Alcon is also suing Warner Bros, the movie’s distributor that hosted Musk’s robotaxi event. Warner Bros. Discovery didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alcon, which is working on a spinoff “Blade Runner 2099” series for Amazon, said it is in talks with automakers about brand collaborations but has avoided affiliating with Tesla because of Musk’s “extreme political and social views” and his “massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech.”

share Paylaş facebook pinterest whatsapp x print

Similar Content

Autonomous shuttle company plans HQ move to Arlington
Autonomous shuttle company plans HQ move to Arlington
Table of Experts: Cybersecurity
Table of Experts: Cybersecurity
FTC adopts 'click to cancel' rule to make it easier to end subscriptions, mirroring California law
FTC adopts ‘click to cancel’ rule to make it easier to end subscriptions, mirroring California law
Google is reportedly developing ‘Jarvis’ AI that could take over your web browser
Google is reportedly developing ‘Jarvis’ AI that could take over your web browser
Apple touts latest AI tools as it unveils iPhone 16
Apple touts latest AI tools as it unveils iPhone 16
The best early Prime Day speaker deals include one of our favorites from Marshall
The best early Prime Day speaker deals include one of our favorites from Marshall
The Daily Lens | © 2024 | News