Tesla and Elon Musk Sued Over AI-Generated 'Blade Runner 2049' Image in Robotaxi Event

This is why the Blade Runner 2049 producers are suing Tesla and Elon Musk

Alcon alleges that Tesla used AI to infringe on its copyright. In the history of AI art, Tesla's use of allegedly AI images for its Robotaxi event won't be remembered for its artistic merit, but it could become a test case for copyright issues. Alcon Entertainment, the production company that made Blade Runner 2049, is suing Tesla, its CEO Elon Musk and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) over the imagery. In the lawsuit, Alcon alleges that when Musk presented the Tesla Robotaxi from a WBD Hollywood studio in the live-streamed event, he "awkwardly" showed an allegedly AI-generated image inspired by Blade Runner 2049. If there were any doubt as to what the image was supported to reference, Musk even mentioned the film by name saying: "You know, I love Blade Runner, but I don't know if we want that future. I believe we want that duster he's wearing, but not the bleak apocalypse." The lawsuit anticipates that Musk may try to argue that his mention was coincidental, but there's more. According to the complaint, Tesla and WBD had asked for permission to use real imagery from Blade Runner 2049, but Alcon had refused. Alcon now accuses WBD of conspiring with Musk and Tesla to infringe its copyright to benefit financially from a brand association that it had refused and objected to. It claims that it was contacted by WBD with a request to licence the image just six hours before the Robotaxi event, and that it quickly made a decision to reject the request. It said it would never allow Blade Runner to be used by Tesla because "Musk has become an increasingly vocal, overtly political, highly polarizing figure globally, and especially in Hollywood." It said the use of Blade Runner imagery would risk alienating other car brands from potential partnerships related to the upcoming Blade Runner 2099 TV series and could also cause it to lose creative talent. The "Hollywood talent pool market generally is less likely to deal with Alcon, or parts of the market may be, if they believe or are confused as to whether, Alcon has an affiliation with Tesla or Musk," the complaint reads. It adds that "any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account." As for why Musk wanted to associate the Robotaxi with Blade Runner 2049, Alcon notes that the vehicles in the film, known as spinners, are "artificially intelligent autonomously capable" flying cars and "one of the most famous vehicles in motion picture history." As for why WBD is also being sued, Alcon claims that after Musk asked to use the Blade Runner image, WBD sought to gain rights through a request through "clip licensing," a less expensive form of licensing, thus downplaying the use of the imagery. Alcon has asked for an injunction to stop Tesla from using any more Blade Runner-inspired imagery. It also wants Tesla to be ordered to put a disclaimer on video from the Robotaxi event to state that the Blade Runner association is "false or misleading." It's yet another blunder from Musk after the disastrous X rebrand. Meanwhile, in other AI art news, a fully autonomous AI artist just sold work for over $350,000 at Sotheby's and Transport for Ireland is in disgrace after using AI-generated Halloween images.

Elon Musk and Tesla Sued for Using AI-Generated 'Blade Runner 2049' Images at Robotaxi Event

The production company behind Blade Runner 2049 has filed a lawsuit against Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros. Discovery, for allegedly feeding stills from the movie into an AI image generator to create unauthorized promotional content. Alcon Entertainment claims in the lawsuit -- filed in a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles -- that the defendants used AI-generated images reminiscent of the 2017 film after Alcon denied a request to use footage for the October 10 event held at the Warner Bros. studio lot. The event was a launch for Tesla's much-anticipated "robotaxi" and involved an AI image that closely mirrored iconic scenes from Blade Runner 2049. The image, which was displayed during Elon Musk's live-streamed presentation, depicted a trench coat-wearing figure in a desolate orange-lit cityscape -- strikingly similar to a sequence featuring Ryan Gosling's character in the film. The presentation was allegedly intended to evoke the atmosphere of the movie and its association with futuristic, autonomous technology. Alcon says that this use of imagery constitutes a "bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit" to create a false association between the film and Tesla's products, per The New York Times. The complaint accuses the defendants of direct and contributory copyright infringement, as well as false endorsement. Alcon claims that the unauthorized affiliation could undermine ongoing negotiations with other automotive brands for a spinoff TV series, Blade Runner 2099, currently in production. The lawsuit also notes that Alcon denied permission partly due to Musk's "highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech." Warner Bros., which distributed Blade Runner 2049 and hosted the robotaxi event, is also named for allegedly facilitating Tesla's promotional efforts. The lawsuit suggests that Tesla and Warner Bros. had entered into an agreement involving promotional rights without Alcon's consent. Alcon is seeking unspecified damages and a court order preventing Tesla from further distributing the promotional material. Neither Musk, Tesla, nor Warner Bros. have responded to requests for comment. Elon Musk's admiration for the Blade Runner series is well-documented having previously hinted that the original 1982 film was a source of inspiration for Tesla's Cybertruck. Tesla's robotaxi event was called "We, Robot" which prompted the director of 2004 sci-fi movie I, Robot to accuse Musk of copying his designs for humanoid machines. "Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please," Alex Proyas said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) which has been viewed more than eight million times.

Musk and Tesla Sued by 'Blade Runner 2049' Producers Over AI Image at Robotaxi Unveiling

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."

'Blade Runner 2049' producers sue Elon Musk and Tesla over AI image at robotaxi event

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- 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."

Elon Musk, Warner Bros. Sued by Blade Runner 2049 Producers Over AI-Generated Robotaxi Image It Says Was Stolen From the Movie - IGN

Alcon Entertainment claims it refused Tesla permission to use Blade Runner 2049 imagery, so it used AI instead. Alcon Entertainment is suing Elon Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. for what it claims is "massive economic theft" after Musk used what looked like an AI-generated image reminiscent of Blade Runner 2049 to promote Tesla's new self-driving car, the Robotaxi. The complaint refers to an image that appears during Musk's keynote, which is meant to show how Tesla is trying to avoid a dystopian future like the one depicted in Denis Villeneuve's 2017 sequel. Musk even references Blade Runner when talking about the image, saying, "We see a lot of sci-fi movies were the future is dark, abysmal... it's not a future you want to be in. I love Blade Runner, but I don't know if I want the future. Maybe we want that duster he's wearing, but not the bleak apocalypse." Alcon, the production company behind Blade Runner 2049, claims in its complaint that Tesla asked for permission to use an "iconic still image" from the movie during its event, but that it refused permission. It then claims that Tesla decided to use AI to create a fake image based on the movie anyway. "During those 11 seconds, Musk tried awkwardly to explain why he was showing the audience a picture of BR 2049 when he was supposed to be talking about his new product. He really had no credible reason," the complaint reads. "Musk ostensibly invited the global audience to think about the cybercab's possibilities in juxtaposition to BR2049's fictional future. But it all exuded an odor of thinly contrived excuse to link Tesla's cybercab to strong Hollywood brands at a time when Tesla and Musk are on the outs with Hollywood. Which of course is exactly what it was." The complaint goes on to claim that contracts linking Blade Runner 2049 and automotive brands have had "dollar price tags in the eight figures," calling Musk himself "problematic" while accusing him of "massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior." Musk has yet to respond to the lawsuit. In addition to Musk himself, the complaint also names Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery as defendants, the latter because it owns the lot on which the Robotaxi keynote was delivered. Alcon is seeking damages due to what it says is copyright infringement and false endorsement. As for the Robotaxi (or Cybercab) revealed on October 10, it's set to be released sometime before 2027. "I think it's going to be a glorious future," Musk says.

'Blade Runner 2049' producers sue Elon Musk and Tesla over AI image at robotaxi event

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 in 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 lawsuit filed by Alcon this week in a Southern California federal court alleges that defendants had previously asked permission to use images from the movie 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 also hosted Musk's robotaxi event. Warner Bros. Discovery didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Blade Runner 2049 producers sue Elon Musk over AI art at robotaxi event

Elon Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery have been accused of violating the copyright of the film Blade Runner 2049 during an event where Tesla promoted its robotaxis. The 2017 dystopian film's producer, Alcon Entertainment, claimed in an Oct. 21 suit in a Los Angeles federal court that Tesla, Musk and Warner Bros. first sought permission to use a still image from the film, which it denied. Tesla wanted the image to hock its "Cybercab" -- a fully autonomous car that will operate as a taxi -- in an Oct. 10 event hosted at Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank. Alcon said it knocked back the request as it wanted to distance the film from "Musk's extreme political and social views." But it alleged the trio "then used an apparently AI-generated faked image to do it all anyway." It's the latest legal dispute over AI imagery and the copyright-infringing material that AI firms have been allegedly using to train their models. It claimed the "lightly stylized fake screen still" from its movie -- depicting a man in a coat gazing at a ruined city -- was shown in Musk's presentation at the event for 11 seconds. "During those 11 seconds, Musk tried awkwardly to explain why he was showing the audience a picture of [Blade Runner 2049] when he was supposed to be talking about his new product," Alcon wrote in its complaint. "He really had no credible reason." In its claims against Warner Bros. Discovery, Alcon said the firm has "some limited and ongoing" rights to Blade Runner 2049 but "not at all for a livestream television feed." Alcon claimed the use of the AI image was "a massive economic theft," and the market value of the brand affiliation is "at least in the six figures and possibly much higher," but didn't specify how much it was seeking in damages. Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Alcon also alleged using the image "muddied the waters" for car brand partnerships it's exploring for an upcoming Blade Runner TV series and took issue that the film might now be linked with "the problematic Musk himself." "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," Alcon said in the complaint. Musk has recently become an outspoken advocate of -- and has appeared at rallies for -- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Others have accused Musk of allowing misinformation to spread on X, while he's also accused of peddling conspiracy theories and making incendiary comments on his platform. Related: Researchers hack AI-enabled robots to cause 'real world' harm "If, as here, a company or its principals do not actually agree with Musk's extreme political and social views, then a potential brand affiliation with Tesla is even more issue-fraught," it added. "Alcon did not want [Blade Runner 2049] to be affiliated with Musk, Tesla, or any Musk company, for all of these reasons." Alcon speculated that the agreement between Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery -- which it hasn't been made privy to -- included an element requiring Tesla to affiliate its Cybercab with Warner Bros. films. At Tesla's event, Musk promised that the Cybercab would be available "before 2027" and cost under $30,000. He's promised for years that Tesla would make a car that could drive on its own, but none of the car maker's vehicles can operate without a human present.

'Blade Runner 2049' Producers Sue Elon Musk and Tesla Over AI Image at Robotaxi Event

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- 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 in 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 lawsuit filed by Alcon this week in a Southern California federal court alleges that defendants had previously asked permission to use images from the movie 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 also hosted Musk's robotaxi event. Warner Bros. Discovery didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Blade Runner 2049' producers sue Elon Musk and Tesla over AI image at robotaxi event

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- 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 in 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 lawsuit filed by Alcon this week in a Southern California federal court alleges that defendants had previously asked permission to use images from the movie 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 also hosted Musk's robotaxi event. Warner Bros. Discovery didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

'Blade Runner 2049' producers sue Elon Musk over AI image

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 in 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 lawsuit filed by Alcon this week in a Southern California federal court alleges that defendants had previously asked permission to use images from the movie 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 also hosted Musk's robotaxi event. Warner Bros. Discovery didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Elon Musk and Tesla sued by 'Blade Runner 2049' producers

Alcon Entertainment filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on Monday with the U.S. District Court, naming Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery, and accusing them of using copyrighted images to create AI-generated stills to promote Tesla's new "robotaxi" aka "Cybercab". The complaint alleges the defendants requested permission to use a still from Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 to promote the fully autonomous electric vehicle at the livestreamed "We, Robot" event at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California on Oct. 10. However, Alcon said it refused permission and "adamantly objected" to the use of the image or "suggesting any affiliation between Blade Runner 2049 and Tesla, Musk or any Musk-owned company." Then, the company alleges, Musk and Tesla "used an apparently AI-generated faked image to do it all anyway." Alcon's filing accuses Musk and Tesla of feeding the requested image from Blade Runner 2049 along with images from the same scene into an AI image generator and "directed the AI to make a lightly stylized fake screen still", which it then displayed at the globally livestreamed event for 11 seconds (for which the production company says Musk had "no credible reason"). The images, Alcon describes, are taken from the "most memorable sequences" of Blade Runner 2049, when Ryan Gosling's character K arrives in the desert ruins of Las Vegas -- it's the area that's bright orange thanks to nuclear destruction. "The sequence follows K as he leaves the spinner and walks in his trench coat or "duster" toward and through the misty orange urban desert ruins, often viewed by the camera from behind or in silhouette," Alcon describes. You can see in the Tesla presentation below around the five-minute mark that Musk indeed names Blade Runner onstage during his keynote while an undeniably Blade Runner-esque image is on screen, with the words "Not This" appearing in the upper left corner. "You see a lot of sci-fi movies where the future is dark and dismal. It's not a future you want to be in," Musk said. "Like, I love Blade Runner but I don't know if we want that future. I think we want that duster he's wearing but not the bleak apocalypse." Alcon has described Musk and Tesla's copyright infringement as "a bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit" to "make the otherwise stilted and stiff content of the joint WBDI-Tesla event more attractive to the global audience and to misappropriate Blade Runner 2049's brand to help sell Teslas." The company also said Musk's use of Blade Runner 2049 imagery was "hardly coincidental" as "the only specific Hollywood film which Musk actually discussed to pitch his new, fully autonomous, AI-driven cybercab" -- given the film prominently features a futuristic, AI-powered, driverless car. But the suit gets more personal than mere copyright in the filing, with the company calling Musk "problematic" himself, and declaring it "did not want Blade Runner 2049 to be affiliated with Musk" or any of his companies. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," the filing reads. Alcon also pointed out it was in negotiations with car brands around its in-production Prime Video Blade Runner 2099 TV series, and that Musk's actions could "cause confusion among Alcon's potential brand partner customers." The production company is seeking damages for "economic theft" and aims to "to pry Musk and his co-Defendants away from Alcon's Blade Runner 2049 brand and goodwill" under the United States Copyright Act and the Lanham Act. Mashable has reached out to Alcon Entertainment, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery for comment.

Tesla and Elon Musk sued over use of AI image at Cybercab event | Digital Trends

Tesla's recent We, Robot presentation has run into trouble, with one of the production companies behind Blade Runner 2049 suing Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, for copyright infringement. Tesla used the glitzy October 10 event to unveil its Cybercab and Robovan, and also to showcase the latest version of its Optimus humanoid robot. Recommended Videos Hosted by Musk at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Studios in Hollywood, the presentation included imagery that Blade Runner 2049 production company Alcon Entertainment alleges Tesla created using generative-AI and stills from the seven-year-old sci-fi movie. Alcon says in the lawsuit that just hours before the event kicked off on the evening of October 10, Tesla and WBD asked for permission to use "an iconic still image" from the movie. Alcon quickly rejected the request. The company explained its decision in the suit, saying: "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," adding that "Alcon did not want Blade Runner 2049 to be affiliated with Musk, Tesla, or any Musk company, for all of these reasons." Following the rejection, Tesla is accused of then feeding imagery from Blade Runner 2049 into an AI image generator to create a still image that appeared on screen for 10 seconds (see it in the video below) during the We, Robot live stream. With the image showing, Musk even referenced the movie franchise, adding that he's hoping for a "fun, exciting" future rather than the dystopian one depicted in so many sci-fi films. We, Robot | Tesla Robotaxi Unveil Alcon also said in its suit that it wasn't surprising that Musk referenced Blade Runner 2049 during the We, Robot event, as the movie features a "strikingly designed, artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car." The accused parties have yet to comment publicly on Alcon's lawsuit, and it's not yet clear what level of damages the production company is seeking.

'Blade Runner 2049' producers sue Musk over 'robotaxi' imagery

The Hollywood company behind "Blade Runner 2049" sued Elon Musk for copyright infringement Monday, accusing him of illegally using imagery from that film to promote Tesla's new "robotaxi." Alcon Entertainment, a movie and television company backed by FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The complaint also names Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery as defendants, saying Alcon had denied a request by Musk and the companies to use imagery from "Blade Runner 2049" as part of an Oct. 10 marketing event on the Warner lot. "He did it anyway," the suit says. Musk's livestreamed presentation -- a grand unveiling of a car that Tesla says will be able to drive itself -- did not use exact "Blade Runner 2049" images, according to the complaint. Rather, the event showcased "AI-created images mirroring scenes from 'Blade Runner 2049,' including one featuring a Ryan Gosling look-alike," Alcon said. The lawsuit called the use of artificial intelligence tools to create near-identical images "a bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit" to make the event "more attractive to a global audience and to misappropriate the 'Blade Runner 2049' brand to help sell Teslas." Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery could not immediately be reached for comment. As described by Alcon, the episode bears a striking resemblance to one earlier this year involving the actress Scarlett Johansson and the artificial intelligence startup OpenAI. Days before it demonstrated a new virtual assistant, OpenAI had requested that Johansson license her voice for it. She declined. Despite her refusal, OpenAI used a voice called "Sky" that sounded "eerily similar to mine," Johansson said at the time, noting that she had hired a lawyer. OpenAI denied that it had intended to copy her voice, but pulled "Sky" as a voice option, saying in a blog post that "AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice." "Blade Runner 2049," a sequel, was financed and produced by Alcon and released by Warner Bros. in 2017. The movie stars Gosling as a bioengineered human living in a postapocalyptic America and prominently features an artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car. Alcon denied a request to allow Musk to use imagery from the film because of his "highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech," according to the complaint. Alcon also said it was in talks with other automotive brands for partnerships on an upcoming Amazon television series, "Blade Runner 2099," and didn't want to derail those negotiations. Now, Alcon said in its suit, "the false affiliation between 'Blade Runner 2049' and Tesla has been irreparably tangled in the global media tapestry, as all defendants knew would inevitably happen."

'Blade Runner 2049' Producers Sue Elon Musk Over AI Art in Cybercab Presentation

The much-hyped event, which also included plans for a larger autonomous "robovan" and remotely operated Optimus robots serving drinks, contained few specifics about when any of these products would become a reality. Tesla staged all this on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California, in hopes of leveraging some movie magic, but investors were unimpressed, and Tesla stock fell nearly 9 percent the next day. However, Alcon's suit alleges, Musk went a step too far in trying to burnish his pitch with Hollywood's help. Ahead of the event, according to the complaint, the defendants asked for permission to use a visually arresting still from Blade Runner 2049 -- one prominent in the marketing material for the 2017 blockbuster. Alcon refused, and "adamantly objected" to any association between their film and Musk or his companies. In place of an authorized image, Alcon claims, Musk instead used an apparently derivative, AI-generated picture while still referencing the film franchise by name. The original shows the character K, played by Ryan Gosling, walking from his autonomous flying "spinner" car toward the ruins of a Las Vegas destroyed years earlier by a nuclear dirty bomb. Tesla's version similarly depicts a man in a duster coat looking out over a desolate, orange cityscape. (Tesla did not immediately return a request for comment regarding the lawsuit.) Early in his cybercab keynote, Musk noted: "You see a lot of sci-fi movies where the future is dark and dismal, where -- it's not a future you want to be in. So, you know, like, I love Blade Runner." That's when the AI rendering appeared on the screen. "I don't know if we want that future," Musk continued. "Maybe we want that duster he's wearing, but not the, uh, not the bleak apocalypse." It's not the first time Musk has sought to link Tesla products to the neo-noir aesthetic of Blade Runner. In July, he took to his X account to share an AI-generated image of Tesla's glitch-plagued Cybertruck in a rain-soaked urban streetscape reminiscent of the original 1982 film and its legacy sequel. In a post last year, he described the vehicle as "an armored personnel carrier from the future -- what Bladerunner would have driven," apparently under the mistaken impression that there's a character in the movies named "Bladerunner." These passing references seemingly did not rise to the level of potential copyright infringement. But the cybercab unveiling that featured an apparent mimicry of a well-known Blade Runner 2049 shot has been viewed more than 10 million times, according to metrics on the X stream, and 2 million times on YouTube. In displaying the image, Alcon's suit contends, "Musk tried awkwardly to explain why he was showing the audience a picture of [Blade Runner 2049] when he was supposed to be talking about his new product. He really had no credible reason. Musk ostensibly invited the global audience to think about the cybercab's possibilities in juxtaposition to [the film]'s fictional future. But it all exuded an odor of thinly contrived excuse to link Tesla's cybercab to strong Hollywood brands at a time when Tesla and Musk are on the outs with Hollywood. Which of course is exactly what it was." Alcon's filing further argues that Musk specifically wanted to connect Blade Runner and the cybercab in viewers' minds because Tesla's proposed design is a sleek two-door autonomous car, and Gosling's character in 2049 pilots a two-door flying autonomous vehicle. The story also deals with advanced artificial intelligence in the form of humanoid "replicants," and Tesla has recently sought to reposition itself as a robotics and AI company. Notably, Alcon's claims go beyond the typical protection of copyright (they report that Tesla's actions could interfere with branding opportunities for an upcoming Blade Runner 2099 TV series) and touch on the question of reputation damage: "Beyond these more ordinary commercial issues, there is the problematic Musk himself," reads the complaint. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account." It was for these reasons, the plaintiffs state, that they had denied Tesla permission to use their materials in the first place. While he has yet to take legal action himself, filmmaker Alex Proyas, director of the 2004 sci-fi film I, Robot, loosely based on the stories of Isaac Asimov, also criticized Musk for what he saw as imitations of his designs from the movie. "Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?" he posted to X days after the cybercab presentation, sharing side-by-side comparisons of the movie's robots and Tesla's Optimus units, as well as vehicles that bear a resemblance to Tesla's proposed robovan and cybercab. The event itself was titled "We, Robot."

'Blade Runner 2049' Producers Sue Elon Musk Over 'Robotaxi' Imagery

The Hollywood company behind "Blade Runner 2049" sued Elon Musk for copyright infringement on Monday, accusing him of illegally using imagery from that film to promote Tesla's new "robotaxi." Alcon Entertainment, a movie and television company backed by the FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The complaint also names Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery as defendants, saying that Alcon had denied a request by Mr. Musk and the companies to use imagery from "Blade Runner 2049" as part of an Oct. 10 marketing event on the Warner lot. "He did it anyway," the suit says. Mr. Musk's live-streamed presentation -- a grand unveiling of a car that Tesla says will be able to drive itself -- did not use exact "Blade Runner 2049" images, according to the complaint. Rather, the event showcased "A.I.-created images mirroring scenes from 'Blade Runner 2049,' including one featuring a Ryan Gosling look-alike," Alcon said. The lawsuit called the use of artificial intelligence tools to create near-identical images "a bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit" to make the event "more attractive to a global audience and to misappropriate the 'Blade Runner 2049' brand to help sell Teslas." Mr. Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery could not immediately be reached for comment. As described by Alcon, the episode bears a striking resemblance to one earlier this year involving the actress Scarlett Johansson and the artificial intelligence start-up OpenAI. Days before it demonstrated a new virtual assistant, OpenAI had requested that Ms. Johansson license her voice for it. She declined. Despite her refusal, OpenAI used a voice called "Sky" that sounded "eerily similar to mine," Ms. Johansson said at the time, noting that she had hired a lawyer. OpenAI denied that it had intended to copy her voice, but pulled "Sky" as a voice option, saying in a blog post that "A.I. voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice." "Blade Runner 2049," a sequel, was financed and produced by Alcon and released by Warner Bros. in 2017. The movie stars Mr. Gosling as a bioengineered human living in a postapocalyptic America and prominently features an artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car. Alcon denied a request to allow Mr. Musk to use imagery from the film because of his "highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech," according to the complaint. Alcon also said it was in talks with other automotive brands for partnerships on an upcoming Amazon television series, "Blade Runner 2099," and didn't want to derail those negotiations. Now, Alcon said in its suit, "the false affiliation between 'Blade Runner 2049' and Tesla has been irreparably tangled in the global media tapestry, as all defendants knew would inevitably happen."

'Blade Runner 2049' producers sue Elon Musk over 'robotaxi' imagery

LOS ANGELES -- The Hollywood company behind "Blade Runner 2049" sued Elon Musk for copyright infringement Monday, accusing him of illegally using imagery from that film to promote Tesla's new "robotaxi." Alcon Entertainment, a movie and television company backed by FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The complaint also names Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery as defendants, saying Alcon had denied a request by Musk and the companies to use imagery from "Blade Runner 2049" as part of an Oct. 10 marketing event on the Warner lot. "He did it anyway," the suit says. Musk's livestreamed presentation -- a grand unveiling of a car that Tesla says will be able to drive itself -- did not use exact "Blade Runner 2049" images, according to the complaint. Rather, the event showcased "AI-created images mirroring scenes from 'Blade Runner 2049,' including one featuring a Ryan Gosling look-alike," Alcon said. The lawsuit called the use of artificial intelligence tools to create near-identical images "a bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit" to make the event "more attractive to a global audience and to misappropriate the 'Blade Runner 2049' brand to help sell Teslas." Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery could not immediately be reached for comment. As described by Alcon, the episode bears a striking resemblance to one earlier this year involving the actress Scarlett Johansson and the artificial intelligence startup OpenAI. Days before it demonstrated a new virtual assistant, OpenAI had requested that Johansson license her voice for it. She declined. Despite her refusal, OpenAI used a voice called "Sky" that sounded "eerily similar to mine," Johansson said at the time, noting that she had hired a lawyer. OpenAI denied that it had intended to copy her voice, but pulled "Sky" as a voice option, saying in a blog post that "AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice." "Blade Runner 2049," a sequel, was financed and produced by Alcon and released by Warner Bros. in 2017. The movie stars Gosling as a bioengineered human living in a postapocalyptic America and prominently features an artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car. Alcon denied a request to allow Musk to use imagery from the film because of his "highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech," according to the complaint. Alcon also said it was in talks with other automotive brands for partnerships on an upcoming Amazon television series, "Blade Runner 2099," and didn't want to derail those negotiations. Now, Alcon said in its suit, "the false affiliation between 'Blade Runner 2049' and Tesla has been irreparably tangled in the global media tapestry, as all defendants knew would inevitably happen."

'Blade Runner 2049' Studio Sues Elon Musk for Copyright Infringement Over AI Images - Decrypt

Alcon Entertainment is suing Elon Musk's Tesla for copyright infringement, claiming that the car manufacturer used images from the 2017 sci-fi film "Blade Runner 2049" without the production company's permission. According to the lawsuit, filed today in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, CA, Alcon alleges that Tesla used these images to generate new visuals for the unveiling of its self-driving Cybercab earlier this month. A day before the Cybercab event, Telsa and Warner Bros. Discovery -- which released the Blade Runner sequel and was hosting the event on its Burbank lot -- asked Alcon Entertainment for permission to use images from the film. Alcon refused to cooperate due to concerns about being associated with Musk, whom they described as "problematic," Tesla, or any of his other companies. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," the attorneys wrote in their complaint. However, after Alcon refused to allow Blade Runner 2049 images to be used for the October 10 event, AI image generators were used to create similar images for the event, Alcon's lawyers contend. (Warner Bros. Discovery was also named as a defendant in Alcon's lawsuit.) During the livestream event on X, Musk made references to Blade Runner, stating that Tesla envisions an exciting future of transportation, in contrast to the bleak, dystopian visions depicted in science fiction like the Bladerunner series. "I love Blade Runner, but I don't know if we want that future," he said. "I think we want that duster he is wearing, but not the bleak apocalypse." "It was hardly coincidental that the only specific Hollywood film which Musk actually discussed to pitch his new, fully autonomous, AI-driven cybercab was BR2049-a film which just happens to feature a strikingly-designed, artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car throughout the story," the studio's attorneys said in its filing today. A vocal supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Musk has been campaigning hard for the Republican nominee, appearing in public at rallies and deluging users on his social network, X, with his pro-Trump tweets. Last month, Trump even suggested that Musk would have a place in his administration cleaning up bureaucratic inefficiencies. Alcon is seeking unspecified damages, arguing that the misuse of copyrighted materials has financially damaged their ongoing negotiations and put future Blade Runner projects, including automotive partnerships and a television series, at risk. "The false affiliation between BR2049 and Tesla is irreparably entangled in the global media tapestry," Alcon Entertainment said. "If, as here, a company or its principals do not actually agree with Musk's extreme political and social views, then a potential brand affiliation with Tesla is even more issue-fraught."

Tesla, Warner Bros. sued for using AI ripoff of iconic Blade Runner imagery

Elon Musk may have personally used AI to rip off a Blade Runner 2049 image for a Tesla cybercab event after producers rejected any association between their iconic sci-fi movie and Musk or any of his companies. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, lawyers for Alcon Entertainment -- exclusive rightsholder of the 2017 Blade Runner 2049 movie -- accused Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) of conspiring with Musk and Tesla to steal the image and infringe Alcon's copyright to benefit financially off the brand association. According to the complaint, WBD did not approach Alcon for permission until six hours before the Tesla event when Alcon "refused all permissions and adamantly objected" to linking their movie with Musk's cybercab. At that point, WBD "disingenuously" downplayed the license being sought, the lawsuit said, claiming they were seeking "clip licensing" that the studio should have known would not provide rights to livestream the Tesla event globally on X (formerly Twitter). Alcon said it would never allow Tesla to exploit its Blade Runner film, so "although the information given was sparse, Alcon learned enough information for Alcon's co-CEOs to consider the proposal and firmly reject it, which they did." Specifically, Alcon denied any affiliation -- express or implied -- between Tesla's cybercab and Blade Runner 2049. "Musk has become an increasingly vocal, overtly political, highly polarizing figure globally, and especially in Hollywood," Alcon's complaint said. If Hollywood perceived an affiliation with Musk and Tesla, the complaint said, the company risked alienating not just other car brands currently weighing partnerships on the Blade Runner 2099 TV series Alcon has in the works, but also potentially losing access to top Hollywood talent for their films. The "Hollywood talent pool market generally is less likely to deal with Alcon, or parts of the market may be, if they believe or are confused as to whether, Alcon has an affiliation with Tesla or Musk," the complaint said.

Blade Runner 2049 producer sues Elon Musk for image used in Cybercab launch

It said Tesla generated an AI image that copies 'one of the most iconic images' from the film. When Elon Musk introduced Tesla's robotaxi, the Cybercab, earlier this month, he showed a slide during his presentation that probably looked familiar to Blade Runner 2049 fans. It featured the back of a person wearing a trench coat against a desert-like landscape with high-rise buildings in the background. Now, a producer behind the movie is suing him for copyright infringement. According to The New York Times, Alcon Entertainment accused him of using "AI-created images mirroring scenes from Blade Runner 2049, including one featuring a Ryan Gosling look-alike." It said that it previously denied a request by Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery to use imagery from the film as part of the Cybercab event. The companies were also named as defendants in the lawsuit. Alcon called Tesla's use of AI to create images nearly identical to scenes from the movie an "intentionally malicious gambit." It argued that by connecting the product announcement to the movie, the automaker made the event "more attractive to a global audience" and misappropriated "the Blade Runner 2049 brand to help sell Teslas." In its lawsuit, Alcon said that the connection between Musk and its film has a financial impact on the company, even going so far as calling the defendants' actions as a "massive economic theft," because it's currently in talks with other potential automative partners for its upcoming Blade Runner 2099 television series. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," it reportedly wrote in its complaint. It said it "adamantly objected" to being associated with Musk or any of his companies, and that Musk was personally aware that it refused his company's request. "He thus personally knew and understood that to incorporate 'BR2049' into the event presentation at all would be improper and an unauthorized misappropriation of 'BR2049' goodwill," the producer wrote. It's worth noting that Musk mentioned Blade Runner during the event, saying that he loves the franchise, but he doesn't "know if we want that future." Musk is one of the biggest supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and is known for making divisive, controversial tweets. He had also been caught retweeting fake news in the past, including a doctored Kamala Harris video. Alcon called the movie still that Tesla allegedly copied "one of the most iconic images" from Blade Runner 2049. We took the image above from Tesla's live stream, and you can see the still from the film below.

Producers of "Blade Runner 2049" Sue Elon Musk for Dragging Their Movie Into Tesla's Disastrous Robotaxi Event

"This was clearly all a bad faith and intentionally malicious gambit." The production company behind the sci-fi blockbuster "Blade Runner 2049" is suing Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk for copyright infringement. In the lawsuit, the company asserts that AI-generated stills used in promotional material related to Tesla's "We, Robot" event -- the site of the disastrous debut of its robotaxi project -- were clearly ripping off the movie. The production company, which is called Alcon Entertainment, didn't beat around the bush while actively distancing itself from Musk and his abrasive, racist antics. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," the lawsuit reads. Worse yet, Alcon -- and Warner Bros Discovery, which is joining it as a plaintiff -- allege that Tesla asked for permission to use a "Blade Runner 2049" still but was turned down, suggesting the EV maker knowingly infringed on the company's copyright by bastardizing its own version using an AI image generator. The image "was clearly intended to read visually either as an actual still image from 'BR2049's iconic sequence of [protagonist] K exploring the ruined Las Vegas, or as a minimally stylized copy of one," Alcon alleges. According to the lawsuit, Musk "personally became aware of Alcon's permission denials and express objections" to using the images, but "did it anyway." In short, it sounds bad for Tesla. And given Musk's well-documented infatuation for science fiction, the accusations are bound to sting. The billionaire has long professed his love for the "Blade Runner" franchise, often invoking it when discussing the company's divisive Cybertruck. Tesla's "We, Robot" event saw the company show off an early prototype of its "Cybercab" robotaxi -- which, as far as we can tell, is currently more of a pipe dream than an actual production vehicle. "It was hardly coincidental that the only specific Hollywood film which Musk actually discussed to pitch his new, fully autonomous, AI-driven cybercab was 'BR2049' -- a film which just happens to feature a strikingly designed, artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car throughout the story," Alcon wrote in its lawsuit. "This was clearly all a bad faith and intentionally malicious gambit by Defendants to make the otherwise stilted and stiff content of the joint WBD-Tesla event more attractive to the global audience and to misappropriate 'BR2049's brand to help sell Teslas," the document reads. It's not just Alcon, either. Alex Proyas, the director behind the 2004 sci-fi blockbuster "I, Robot," also accused Musk of ripping off his ideas, tweeting "Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?"

Blade Runner 2049 producers sue Elon Musk, Tesla, and Warner over AI-generated image used in Cybercab promotional event

Alcon Entertainment refused to grant permission to use Blade Runner 2049 images in the event, so Tesla used an AI-generated fake instead. Blade Runner 2049 production company Alcon Entertainment is suing Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros. Discovery over their alleged use of AI-generated imagery based on the film in a promotional event for Tesla's new Cybercab. The suit, available via Variety, claims the defendants opted for the AI image after Alcon "refused all permissions and adamantly objected to Defendants suggesting any affiliation between BR2049 and Tesla, Musk or any Musk-owned company." Tesla's We, Robot event faced some earlier backlash over the presence of Tesla robots, which were implied to be AI-driven and autonomous but were more likely being controlled by human operators. But this is much more serious: The lawsuit claims Tesla asked for permission to use a still image from Blade Runner 2049 for the event, and when Alcon refused it simply fed images from the film into an AI image generator, along with instructions to make "a lightly stylized fake screen still from BR2049." That image was then used early in the Cybercab presentation, and lest anyone not make the connection Musk specifically referenced the film in his opening remarks. "I love Blade Runner, but I don't know if we want that future," he said. "I think we want that duster he's wearing, but not the bleak apocalypse." "Musk tried awkwardly to explain why he was showing the audience a picture of BR2049 when he was supposed to be talking about his new product," the lawsuit states. "He really had no credible reason. Musk ostensibly invited the global audience to think about the Cybercab's possibilities in juxtaposition to BR2049's fictional future. But it all exuded an odor of thinly contrived excuse to link Tesla's Cybercab to strong Hollywood brands at a time when Tesla and Musk are on the outs with Hollywood. Which of course is exactly what it was." The lawsuit also notes that Blade Runner 2049 is the only Hollywood movie to be used in the Cybercab promotion even though Warner also holds the rights to all the Mad Max films. Any one of those would have been better choices if the actual point was to illustrate a really shitty future we'd all rather avoid, the suit states -- reasonably, I think. But that was not the point at all: The suit's allegation is that the whole point was to make the event "more attractive to the global audience and to misappropriate BR2049's brand to help sell Teslas." Making matters worse for Alcon is Musk's "massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech." Alcon states in the lawsuit that it specifically did not want to be affiliated with Musk or his companies because of his behavior, which is why it not only refused to grant the use of Blade Runner 2049 material in the first place but "also expressly and clearly objected to any express or implied BR2049 affiliation with the event." But now it's caught up in it regardless, across thousands of re-posts and millions of views. "The false affiliation between BR2049 and Tesla is irreparably entangled in the global media tapestry, all as Defendants knew would inevitably happen," the suit states. This is the Blade Runner 2049 Tesla allegedly wanted to use in its We, Robot presentation: This is what ultimately appeared in the presentation. All told, the use of the image represents "massive economic theft," the suit claims, not only because of the fees lost on this "unauthorized association" but also because it "muddied the waters" for potential real brand partnerships based on the upcoming Blade Runner 2049 spinoff television series. The lawsuit asks for all copies of materials using the image as well as other "related record and documents" to be impounded by the court, and that an injunction against further use be issued. Alcon is also after damages and disgorgement of profits, legal fees, and "such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper." This isn't the first time in recent memory that one of Musk's companies has been sued for doing whatever the hell it wants without regard for consequences. In September, Cards Against Humanity filed a lawsuit against SpaceX for trespassing on land it owned and destroying it "with gravel, tractors, and space garbage." In that case, not unlike this one, SpaceX allegedly made a "lowball offer" for permission to use the land and when CAH refused, it went ahead and used it anyway. I've reached out to Tesla for comment and will update if I receive a reply.

Elon Musk sued over AI Blade Runner robotaxi imagery

Alcon Entertainment said Musk used AI to affiliate the movie's brand with Tesla in an 'intentionally malicious gambit'. The production company behind the Blade Runner 2049 film has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros Discovery for alleged copyright infringement using AI. Alcon Entertainment claims that the defendants requested permission to use "an iconic still image" from the movie to promote Tesla's new autonomous 'Cybercab' at its livestreamed event in October, but permission was not granted. The company alleges that the defendant then "used an apparently AI-generated faked image to do it all anyway". "Alcon did not want BR2049 to be affiliated with Musk, Tesla, or any Musk company," the filing said. "Now BR2049 unfortunately and falsely is so affiliated ... the false affiliation between BR2049 and Tesla is irreparably entangled in the global media tapestry, all as defendants knew would inevitably happen, and amplifying the damage and confusion risks." Musk unveiled Tesla's new robotaxi and its 'We, Robot' presentation held at the Warner Bros film lot in California on 10 October. The event was livestreamed internationally and included an image of a man in a long coat standing in a dusty, post-apocalyptic city landscape. While the image is not taken directly from the Blade Runner 2049 film, Musk did mention the Blade Runner franchise by name during the presentation. In its suit, Alcon Entertainment said the image used was "a bad faith and intentionally malicious gambit", especially when permission to use the image was requested and refused. "It was hardly coincidental that the only specific Hollywood film which Musk actually discussed to pitch his new, fully autonomous, AI-driven cybercab was BR2049 - a film which just happens to feature a strikingly-designed, artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car throughout the story," the suit said. The suit follows several other high-profile incidents where AI was used without permission. In May of this year, OpenAI landed in hot water when its voice feature appeared to mimic Scarlett Johansson's voice after the actress had refused permission to use her voice. And in August, US presidential candidate Donald Trump shared multiple fake images on Truth Social, including one of Taylor Swift with the caption 'Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump'. This prompted the singer to publicly state her plans to endorsed Kamala Harris for the US presidential election. Elon Musk. Image: Daniel Oberhaus (2018) via Flickr (CC BY 2.0) Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

'Massive Economic Theft': Elon Musk, Tesla Sued By 'Blade Runner 2049' Producers Over Iconic Image Used at Tesla's Robotaxi Event

Elon Musk took the stage earlier this month at Tesla's Robotaxi event, showcasing a Cybercab self-driving car, a 20-seater Robovan, and Optimus robots. Though the event was exclusive and invitation-only, one company did not want to be associated with it: Alcon Entertainment, producers of the 2017 science fiction movie, "Blade Runner 2049." In a complaint filed on Monday against Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros Discovery in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Alcon alleged that Musk used a notable image from "Blade Runner 2049" at the event, even after Alcon denied him permission to use it. The image shows Ryan Gosling, the film's protagonist, surveying an apocalyptic landscape. When the image appeared on the screen at the Robotaxi presentation, Elon Musk stated: "I love Blade Runner but I don't know if we want that future. I think we want that duster he's wearing but not the bleak apocalypse." Related: What Is Elon Musk's New Master Plan For Tesla? Original Blueprint Disappears From Tesla's Website After 18 years According to the 41-page lawsuit, Tesla used the original image as training data to generate a similar AI image. The automaker then displayed the AI image for 11 seconds during Musk's presentation -- "a marketing and advertising eternity," per the complaint. Alcon alleges that Tesla, Musk, and Warner Bros have infringed on copyright and caused "a massive economic theft." "The financial magnitude of the misappropriation here was substantial," the lawsuit reads. "Alcon has spent decades and hundreds of millions of dollars building the BR2049 [Blade Runner 2049] brand into the famous mark that it now is. Prior actual BR2049 contracts linking automotive brands to the Picture have had dollar price tags in the eight figures." In the complaint, Alcon also stated it was not partnering with Tesla because of Musk and his "massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior." There's now a false connection between the Blade Runner 2049 brand and Musk, "amplifying the damage and confusion risks," Alcon stated. Alcon is seeking relief for copyright infringement. Related: 'One of the Most Important Events': Is Tesla Finally Revealing Its Robotaxi with Full Self-Driving? Alcon's case against Musk follows legal action undertaken by Scarlett Johansson earlier this year after ChatGPT-maker OpenAI released an AI voice that sounded "eerily similar" to hers.

'Blade Runner 2049' Producer Sues Tesla, Warner Bros Over AI Images

Tesla used images created with AI that mirrored the movie for cybercab Movie and television studio Alcon Entertainment on Monday sued Tesla and Warner Bros Discovery over claims they used images tied to the film "Blade Runner 2049" to promote Tesla's new autonomous cybercab. Alcon's California federal lawsuit alleged violations of US copyright law and accused Tesla of "false endorsement" for suggesting a relationship between Alcon and the Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle maker. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicised, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," the lawsuit said. Tesla and Warner Bros did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Warner Bros was Alcon's distributor for "Blade Runner 2049", which won two 2018 Academy Awards and starred Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford in the highly anticipated sequel to the 1982 cult classic Blade Runner. Alcon said it had refused a request from Warner Bros to use images from the firm for Tesla's October 10 live-streamed cybercab unveiling. Tesla then used images created with Artificial Intelligence (AI) that mirrored the movie for its cybercab event, the lawsuit said. In a statement, Alcon said the defendants' "conduct is likely to cause confusion among Alcon's 'Blade Runner' brand partner customers, including those it is partnering with for its upcoming 'Blade Runner 2099' series for Amazon Prime." The lawsuit did not name specific damages but said Alcon had spent hundreds of millions of dollars building the Blade Runner 2049 brand, and said the "financial magnitude of the misappropriation here was substantial." © Thomson Reuters 2024

'Blade Runner 2049' producer accuses Musk and Tesla of circumventing copyright with AI imagery

In an interesting variation of the usual "stop stealing our stuff" lawsuit already deployed dozens of times against AI companies, today brings a more nuanced form of alleged theft. Alcon Entertainment, a production company behind "Blade Runner 2049," is suing Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros Digital for what they claim is a willful circumvention of its IP rights, according to Hollywood Reporter. Musk had asked to use imagery from the film to promote Tesla's latest futuristic concept cars at their unveiling on a Warners studio lot. When Alcon wouldn't agree to provide the rights through Warner, the suit alleges that Tesla, at Musk's direction, used that imagery as raw material to duplicate it using an AI model. He then showed this fake Blade Runner imagery while talking about the film itself, as you see above. The lawsuit proposes unspecified damages and also banning Tesla from further distributing the disputed promotional materials.

Elon Musk sued for using AI-generated Blade Runner imagery at robotaxi event

Today, Alcon Entertainment -- an LA-based production company behind Blade Runner 2049 -- filed a lawsuit against Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros. Discovery alleging that an AI image generator was used to create promotional art for the We, Robot event that was meant to resemble stills from the 2017 sci-fi film. According to Alcon, which also owns the copyright to Blade Runner 2049, WBD and Tesla sent a request to use imagery from the film on the afternoon of October 10th just hours before the We, Robot demo took place on the Warner Bros. lot in California.

Why are 'Blade Runner 2049' producers suing Elon Musk?

The production company behind 'Blade Runner 2049' has sued Tesla CEO Elon Musk, as well as Warner Bros. Discovery, alleging that AI-generated images depicting scenes from the film were used for the launch of Tesla's self-driving Robotaxi. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness." Timeless words from Oscar Wilde, who would doubtlessly be chuckling away to himself had he had the misfortune of meeting Elon Musk. Last week, Musk drew the ire of Alex Proyas, the director of the 2004 sci-fi film I, Robot, who accused the businessman-turned-troll of copying his designs for humanoid machines and self-driving vehicles. "Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please," Proyas wrote in a post on X which has been viewed more than eight million times at the time of writing. Now, it seems that Musk has been stealing some of his ideas from another Hollywood blockbuster: Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to the 1982 classic Blade Runner, which portrays a dystopian future featuring autonomous vehicles powered by AI. The production company behind Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 filed a lawsuit Monday against Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery, accusing them of copyright infringement while promoting a new self-driving car. In its lawsuit, Alcon Entertainment says Musk used AI-generated imagery mirroring scenes from its 2017 sci-fi film while presenting Tesla's new autonomous Robotaxi at a marketing event earlier this month. And the snag is that producers had denied his request to do so. "He did it anyway," the suit alleges, adding that the company do not want to be linked to Musk or his companies. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicised, capricious and arbitrary behaviour, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," it added. Indeed, the billionaire founder of Tesla and owner of X has endorsed Donald Trump, committed at least $70 million (€64,5m) to help Trump get back to the White House, has appeared alongside him at a rally this month, and has even pledged to give away $1 million (approx. €921,000) a day to voters who sign his political action committee's petition - in what some feel is election interference. On 10 October, Musk launched Tesla's fully autonomous Robotaxi on the Warner Bros. Discovery lot in Burbank, California. During Musk's globally livestreamed presentation, a scene featured AI-generated footage of a man in a long trench coat exploring the ruins of Las Vegas. The suit alleges that this is directly ripped from a scene in Blade Runner 2049 featuring actor Ryan Gosling. The day before the launch, Warner Bros. Discovery had contacted Alcon to request the use of clips from Blade Runner 2049 for Tesla's presentation. Alcon Co-CEO Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson "refused WBD's request, objecting to their film being affiliated in any way with Tesla, Musk or any Musk-owned company," according to the company. That did not stop Musk. The suit alleges that it "exuded an odor of thinly contrived excuse to link Tesla's cybercab to strong Hollywood brands at a time when Tesla and Musk are on the outs with Hollywood." Musk even referenced the film when giving his remarks: "You know, I love 'Blade Runner,' but I don't know if we want that future. I believe we want that duster he's wearing, but not the bleak apocalypse." Alcon Entertainment believe this unauthorised association is harmful to their business and their suit seeks an injunction blocking Musk, Tesla, WBD and "anyone working in concert with them from further copying, displaying, distributing, selling or offering to sell 'BR2049' or protectible elements thereof in connection with Tesla or Musk, or making derivative works thereof for such purposes." The monetary damages are unspecified. However, "the financial magnitude of the misappropriation here was substantial," the lawsuit says. "Alcon has spent decades and hundreds of millions of dollars building the 'BR2049' brand into the famous mark that it now is. Prior actual 'BR2049' contracts linking automotive brands to the Picture have had dollar price tags in the eight figures." Tesla has not publicly responded to the lawsuit yet.

'Blade Runner 2049' producer sues Elon Musk, Warner Bros. Discovery over Tesla Cybercab launch

By Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times The Tribune Content Agency A Los Angeles-based production company has sued Tesla, its Chief Executive Elon Musk, and Warner Bros. Discovery, alleging that the electric vehicle maker ripped off scenes from the 2017 film "Blade Runner 2049" to promote its new robotaxi. Alcon Entertainment, which produced the film for Warner Bros., filed the copyright infringement lawsuit Monday in California. The complaint accuses the Hollywood studio, Tesla and Musk of using artificial intelligence to generate an image resembling scenes from "Blade Runner 2049," which Musk presented during a launch event for Tesla's Cybercab on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank. The livestreamed event took place Oct. 10 - shortly after Alcon said it denied a request from Warner Bros. Discovery to use a production photo from the sci-fi film to promote Tesla's new product. "Alcon refused all permissions and adamantly objected to Defendants suggesting any affiliation between ['Blade Runner 2049'] and Tesla, Musk or any Musk-owned company," the 52-page lawsuit reads. "Defendants then used an apparently AI-generated faked image to do it all anyway." Representatives for New York City-based Warner Bros. Discovery and Austin-based Tesla did not immediately respond Monday to The Times' requests for comment. The production photo Warner Bros. Discovery asked to use depicts "Blade Runner 2049" star Ryan Gosling walking away from the camera across a desolate, dystopian landscape reduced to rubble and reddish dirt. Gosling wears a brown trench coat in character as a futuristic bounty hunter while approaching a city skyline shrouded in thick, orange smog. The image from the Cybercab livestream shows a man - with a build and haircut similar to Gosling's - wearing a brown trench coat and standing on red dirt while overlooking a city skyline enveloped in a thick, orange haze. During the Cybercab launch party, Musk also allegedly referenced "Blade Runner 2049" while introducing the vehicle to a global audience. A lot is riding on the Cybercab for Musk, who has been selling unfulfilled promises of autonomous vehicles for years. Although Tesla's sales of its signature electric cars stumbled early in 2024, the company has an $800-billion market capitalization built largely on the expectation that it will be able to overtake competitors to dominate the burgeoning robotaxi market. Whether Tesla is anywhere close to completing its push to develop the technology needed to do so, however, remains an open question. "It was hardly coincidental that the only specific Hollywood film which Musk actually discussed to pitch his new, fully autonomous, AI-driven cybercab was ['Blade Runner 2049']," the complaint reads, "a film which just happens to feature a strikingly-designed, artificially intelligent, fully autonomous car throughout the story." Alcon Entertainment is demanding a jury trial and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. -------- (Times staff writer Caroline Petrow-Cohen contributed to this report.) -------

Tesla Sued By 'Blade Runner' Producers Mad About Robotaxi Event

Alcon Entertainment claims to have denied Elon Musk permission to use images from the film at the We, Robot event this month. When invitees of Tesla's "We, Robot" event hopped into the Robotaxi prototypes at the Warner Bros. Hollywood Studio on Oct. 10, they were greeted by a giant screen festooned with futuristic animations and illustrations. One of those illustrations was inspired by the 2017 sci-fi flick Blade Runner 2049, itself a sequel to the 1982 classic Blade Runner -- both cited as influential to Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his plans for the Cybertruck. But the producers of the sequel aren't having any of it. They're now suing Tesla for copyright infringement, for using Blade Runner-inspired visualizations to promote the self-driving Cybercab, the New York Times reported today. Alcon Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against Tesla in the Los Angeles District Court, alleging that the company had denied a request by Musk to use Blade Runner-inspired visualizations at the Robotaxi reveal. But "he did it anyway," as per the suit. The Blade Runner series depicts a grim future grappling with a climate crisis and off-world expansion, as well as the many moral and ethical questions around developing an android-like race of beings used as disposable labor. Artificial intelligence, holograms and flying taxis are some of the central components of the films. Despite not exactly being a pleasant vision of tomorrow, Musk clearly thinks it's cool. We've been hearing about this from him for a while. Before the Cybertruck launch last year, Musk said in a post on X that the truck was like an "armored personnel carrier from the future -- what Blade Runner would have driven." (Never mind the fact that "Blade Runner" is a kind of nickname for the detectives who investigate crimes involving androids, and not some guy's actual name.) "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," states the complaint according to Hollywood Reporter. Tesla did not use exact images from the film but used AI tools to create near-identical images. That, according to Alcon, is a "bad-faith and intentionally malicious gambit." It could be months, or even years before any verdict comes out of this case. But it's another controversial element in Musk's Robotaxi ambitions. As it is, the Robotaxi reveal was light on technical details and was mostly a concept showcase. The car itself looks cool with its butterfly doors, smooth surfacing and a compact footprint. But the event was more bling than substance. Tesla didn't tell us how the underlying Full-Self Driving (FSD) technology would obtain regulatory approval or how it would be safe for passengers in varying driving conditions. All we know is that the Robotaxi will feature wireless charging -- the prototypes didn't have charging ports at all -- and Tesla gunning to achieve an efficiency of 5.5 miles per kilowatt-hour to obtain about 200 miles of range from a small battery. How will all of this work in the real world? We don't know yet and Tesla is being quiet about it.

Elon Musk sued by 'Blade Runner 2049' producers over look-alike image

Alcon Entertainment alleges that Musk and Tesla made an AI image for their robotaxi unveiling that's based on "Blade Runner 2049." When Elon Musk unveiled Tesla's long-awaited robotaxi at a movie studio this month, he presented an image of a person standing in an orange desert looking toward demolished buildings -- similar to an iconic shot from the movie "Blade Runner 2049." "I love Blade Runner, but, uh, I don't know if we want that future," Musk said. "I think we want that duster [coat] he's wearing, but, uh, but not the bleak apocalypse. We want to have a fun, exciting future." Now the studio that produced "Blade Runner 2049" is suing Musk and Tesla for copyright infringement. Alcon Entertainment said in a lawsuit Monday that Tesla asked to use an image from the 2017 science fiction movie for its event, but the studio refused. Tesla then created an artificial intelligence image that looked similar to one from the movie, the lawsuit alleges. In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Alcon Entertainment asks Tesla to pay damages and profits it has made from using the look-alike image. Although Tesla is not yet selling its robotic taxis, called the Cybercab, Alcon argues the image from the launch event could bolster the carmaker's brand. "This was clearly all a bad faith and intentionally malicious gambit by Defendants to make the otherwise stilted and stiff content of the ... event more attractive to the global audience and to misappropriate BR2049's brand to help sell Teslas," the lawsuit says. Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery, which hosted the event and is named as a defendant, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Although Warner Bros. distributed "Blade Runner 2049" in the United States and Canada, Alcon Entertainment's lawsuit says the media company does not own the movie's copyright. Replying to a post on X about the lawsuit, Musk wrote Tuesday: "That movie sucked." A publicist for the Angellotti Company, a public relations firm that represents Alcon Entertainment, wrote in an email to The Washington Post that the studio "is confident in the allegations in its Complaint and looks forward to the legal process." "Blade Runner 2049," the sequel to the 1982 classic "Blade Runner," is primarily set in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles and follows K, a police officer played by Ryan Gosling, as he tracks down Rick Deckard, the protagonist of the 1982 movie. A shot from the movie and its trailer shows K exiting his flying vehicle, surrounded by orange haze and shattered infrastructure, as he walks toward the Las Vegas cityscape. The scene precedes K's meeting with Deckard. "It immediately evokes BR2049 and everything the Picture stands for, without any words or other references," Alcon Entertainment's lawsuit says. Tesla requested to use that image for the Oct. 10 unveiling of its robotaxi in Burbank, Calif., according to the lawsuit. Alcon Entertainment said it declined, wanting to avoid an affiliation with "any Musk company." "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," the lawsuit says. Musk has been accused of allowing false and misleading claims to spread on X, which the multibillionaire owns. Musk announced on Saturday that he would distribute $1 million daily in a lottery for swing-state voters who sign a petition for the super PAC he created to campaign for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump -- a vow that legal experts said federal law might prohibit. At the Cybercab's unveiling, Musk rode in the robotaxi around the movie studio before beginning his presentation. He showed the image of the person standing in the orange desert -- with a similar camera angle as the movie scene -- for about 11 seconds. He said he wanted the future to be different from Blade Runner's, with useful technology, like the robotaxi that Tesla says is fully autonomous. Musk said the vehicle, which won't have a steering wheel or pedals, will "probably" be in production in 2026. A live stream of the unveiling has received more than 10 million views on X. Alcon Entertainment said the value of an affiliation with "Blade Runner 2049" is at least $100,000. The studio said it could also be harmed financially in another way: It's discussing partnerships with other car companies for an upcoming TV series, "Blade Runner 2099," and Tesla's actions are "likely to cause confusion among Alcon's potential brand partner customers." "The false affiliation between BR2049 and Tesla is irreparably entangled in the global media tapestry," the lawsuit said. In addition to damages and profits, Alcon Entertainment also requested attorneys' fees and an injunction that prevents Tesla from using elements of "Blade Runner 2049." Last week, Alex Proyas, who directed the 2004 movie "I, Robot," accused Musk's robotaxi event of also stealing his movie's imagery, writing on X: "Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?"

Elon Musk Accused Of Stealing Blade Runner 2049 Imagery To Sell Teslas In New Lawsuit

Last week, Elon Musk revealed his Robotaxis at a Tesla Cybercab event on a Hollywood movie lot filled with theatrical flourishes aimed at evoking a neon-fueled sci-fi future. A new lawsuit filed on Monday now accuses the tech billionaire of using AI to generate Blade Runner 2049-style imagery after one of the companies behind the film had already turned down Musk's request to officially license it. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of Alcon Entertainment, which helped finance Blade Runner 2049, The New York Times reports. It targets both Tesla and Warner Bros. as defendants and claims the former used AI-generated imagery based on Blade Runner 2049 to infringe on Alcon Entertainment's copyright. It essentially argues that Musk tried to "misappropriate the Blade Runner 2049 brand to help sell Teslas." The Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel to the Harrison Ford original starred Ryan Gosling and used bold colors and panoramic futuristic views to depict a grim cyberpunk dystopia in which both humanity and machines are suffering from corporate exploitation and spiritual malaise. But Gosling, and the movie, tapped into a cool mystique alongside the technological angst. Musk's allegedly infringing images were part of the "We, Robot" Tesla Cybercab event on October 10, held on the Warner lot, where the company revealed new autonomous cars that it claims could be ferrying passengers around Los Angeles by the end of the decade. The company also touted its Optimus robots at the event, which it claims will be able to carry out various household tasks for $20,000-$30,000 each once they are manufactured. Early in the event, Musk used the image of a man in a trench coat looking out at a hazy, yellow-orange, desolate, urban city skyline with the words "not this" in the corner to illustrate a future dystopia his products are meant to avoid. "I love Blade Runner, but I don't know if we want that future," the Tesla CEO said during the event, directly referencing the franchise. "I believe we want that duster he's wearing, but not the, uh, not the bleak apocalypse." In its lawsuit, Alcon claims that the still image was clearly interpreted as a reference to the 2017 sequel and, in addition to infringing on its copyright, also affiliates the two brands in a way that the Hollywood company intentionally wanted to avoid. Alcon said it wanted to avoid any association with Musk's "massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech," and also to not jeopardize potential brand deals with other car companies ahead of the launch of an upcoming Blade Runner 2099 TV show on Amazon Prime. Despite denying Musk's request to use Blade Runner 2049 in his presentation, the lawsuit states, "He did it anyway." While Musk was once known primarily for his electric cars, he's made news much more often in recent years for incendiary comments on X, formerly known as Twitter, which he purchased in 2022. When he's not touting successful rocket retrievals by SpaceX or playing Diablo IV, he's out campaigning for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Over the weekend, Musk claimed he would give any registered voter in Pennsylvania $100 to sign a petition as part of a marketing blitz for the recently convicted Republican candidate.

Blade Runner 2049 producer sues Tesla, Warner Bros over AI images | BreakingNews.ie

Movie and television studio Alcon Entertainment on Monday sued Tesla and Warner Bros Discovery over claims they used images tied to the film Blade Runner 2049 to promote Tesla's new autonomous cybercab. Alcon's California federal lawsuit alleged violations of US copyright law and accused Tesla of "false endorsement" for suggesting a relationship between Alcon and the Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle maker. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicised, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," the lawsuit said. Tesla and Warner Bros did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Warner Bros was Alcon's distributor for "Blade Runner 2049", which won two 2018 Academy Awards and starred Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford in the highly anticipated sequel to the 1982 cult classic Blade Runner. Alcon said it had refused a request from Warner Bros to use images from the firm for Tesla's October 10th live-streamed cybercab unveiling. Tesla then used images created with artificial intelligence that mirrored the movie for its cybercab event, the lawsuit said. In a statement, Alcon said the defendants' "conduct is likely to cause confusion among Alcon's 'Blade Runner' brand partner customers, including those it is partnering with for its upcoming 'Blade Runner 2099' series for Amazon Prime". The lawsuit did not name specific damages but said Alcon had spent hundreds of millions of dollars building the Blade Runner 2049 brand, and said the "financial magnitude of the misappropriation here was substantial".

'Blade Runner 2049' Producer Sues Elon Musk's Tesla, Warner Bros. Discovery Over AI Images

Federal Crackdown Begins on Streaming Services' Cancellation Policies A production company for Blade Runner 2049 has sued Tesla, which allegedly fed images from the movie into an artificial intelligence image generator to create unlicensed promotional materials. Alcon Entertainment, in a lawsuit filed on Monday in California federal court, accuses Elon Musk and his autonomous vehicle company of misappropriating the movie's brand to promote its robotaxi at a glitzy unveiling earlier this month. The producer says it doesn't want Blade Runner 2049 to be affiliated with Musk because of his "extreme political and social views," pointing to ongoing efforts with potential partners for its upcoming TV series. The complaint, which brings claims for copyright infringement and false endorsement, also names Warner Bros. Discovery for allegedly facilitating the partnership. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," states the complaint. "Alcon did not want BR2049 to be affiliated with Musk."

AI Images Battle: Blade Runner 2049 Producer Takes on Tesla and Warner Bros

Tesla's Use of Blade Runner-Inspired AI Visuals Sparks Controversy The lawsuit details how Tesla used AI-generated images to promote its new autonomous car "Cybercab" mimicking scenes from Blade Runner 2049. It's contending that Tesla is implying an affiliation with the franchise and engaging in "false endorsement.". The lawsuit further claims that Warner Bros, the distributor of Blade Runner 2049, had previously requested to use the movie images for the unveiling of Tesla's robotaxi on October 10, which Alcon refused. However, Tesla went ahead, creating images made by AI, which bore the style of the film for the event.

Elon Musk Faces Legal Challenge Over AI-Generated 'Blade Runner 2049' Imagery Use At 'We Robot' Event: Alcon Cites 'Highly Politicized, Capricious And Arbitrary Behavior' - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD)

Elon Musk, Tesla Inc. TSLA, and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. WBD are facing a lawsuit filed by Alcon Entertainment, alleging copyright infringement during Tesla's robotaxi event. What Happened: The Los Angeles-based production company, known for "Blade Runner 2049," has accused them of using an AI image generator to create promotional art for Tesla's "We, Robot" event, reported The Verge. The artwork allegedly bears a striking resemblance to stills from the 2017 sci-fi film, Blade Runner 2049, the copyright of which is owned by Alcon. The lawsuit claims that Tesla and Warner Bros. sought permission to use imagery from the film just hours before the event, which was held on the Warner Bros. lot in California. See Also: OpenAI's Chinese Cousins Alibaba, And ByteDance Are Slashing AI Costs And Defying US Chip Sanctions: Beijing's Strength Is To 'Build Fast, Build Reliably And Build Cheap' However, Alcon denied the request due to concerns about being associated with Musk and Tesla, citing Musk's controversial behavior, which they viewed as detrimental to their brand. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," the suit states. "Alcon did not want BR2049 to be affiliated with Musk, Tesla, or any Musk company, for all of these reasons." Despite Alcon's refusal, Tesla allegedly used shots from Blade Runner 2049 to create a stylized image displayed prominently during the event. Alcon also alleged that it was not informed about any agreements between Tesla and Warner Bros. that were necessary before the event. The production company believes that these agreements included a promotional element that connected Tesla's Cybercab with one or more films from the studio's catalog. The lawsuit does not specify the amount of damages sought, but it asserts that Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. were aware of the unauthorized nature of the image and its improper use. Tesla and WBD did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments. Why It Matters: At the Tesla "We, Robot" event earlier this month, the EV giant unveiled its two-seater robotaxi, the Cybercab. The event also featured the company's humanoid robots. Following the highly anticipated Robotaxi Day, analysts suggest that Tesla's stock may continue to decline due to the absence of clear business plans for robotaxis and the lack of updates on a more affordable production vehicle. The Optimus robots came under fire recently when it was disclosed that engineers were operating them remotely during a demonstration. The event featured the robots displaying their skills by dancing and serving drinks, leading some critics to describe the presentation as deceptive. Despite criticism and skepticism surrounding Tesla's Optimus robots, Nvidia Corp. executive Rev Lebaredian defended the technology, underscoring the complexity and technological prowess involved in controlling these robots. Image via Shutterstock Read Next: Plug Power, EVgo, Enovix: Analyst Clean Tech Picks For Navigating Election Exposure, Hedging Uncertainty Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Sours On Blade Runner 2049 After EV Giant Gets Sued Over 'False Endorsement' Accusations: 'That Movie Sucked' - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)

Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday slammed Alcon Entertainment's Blade Runner 2049 movie after the Los Angeles-based production company alleged copyright infringement during Tesla's robotaxi event. What Happened: "That movie sucked," Musk wrote about Blade Runner 2049. Earlier this week, it was reported that Alcon has filed a copyright lawsuit against Tesla and Warner Bros Discovery, accusing them of using an AI image generator to create promotional art for Tesla's "We, Robot" event that allegedly bears a striking resemblance to stills from the 2017 sci-fi film, the copyright of which is owned by Alcon. The lawsuit claims that Tesla and Warner Bros. sought permission to use imagery from the film just hours before the event. However, Alcon denied the request due to concerns it would be construed as a "false endorsement" of Musk and Tesla. The production company cited Musk's controversial behavior, which they viewed as detrimental to their brand. Despite Alcon's refusal, Tesla allegedly used shots from Blade Runner 2049 to create a stylized image displayed prominently during the event. Why It Matters: Musk's new comment comes as a reversal of a comment he made at the 'We, Robot' event earlier this month. Musk then said that he loves Blade Runner but would prefer a fun and exciting future instead of an apocalyptic one. Late last year, Musk said that Tesla's stainless steel Cybertruck is something that Bladerunner would have driven. In fact, Musk has made references to Blade Runner as long back as 2018 on his X account, formerly Twitter. However, Blade Runner 2049 is a sequel to the 1982 movie Blade Runner and it is unclear if Musk is a fan of the original alone. Tesla's 'We, Robot' event held on Oct. 10 at Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.'s movie studio near Los Angeles was dedicated to showcasing Tesla's efforts in the field of autonomous driving and robotics. Tesla unveiled its 2-seater Cybercab and also a 20-seater Robovan at the event. Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link. Read Next: GM 'Working Hard' To Resume Driverless Cruise Vehicles By End Of Year, Says CEO Mary Barra: 'We Want To Make Sure We're Investing In Autonomy As Efficiently As Possible' Photo courtesy: Tesla Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs