The production company behind ‘Blade Runner 2049’ has filed a federal lawsuit against Elon Musk and Tesla, alleging the unauthorised use of imagery from the 2017 sci-fi film to promote Tesla’s new Cybercab vehicle.
Alcon Entertainment, which holds the rights to the film, claims that Musk and Tesla illegally fed Blade Runner 2049 images into an AI generator to create promotional visuals for the vehicle without obtaining the necessary permissions.
The lawsuit, filed on Monday in Los Angeles federal court, names Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery as defendants.
Warner Bros. distributed Blade Runner 2049 and hosted Tesla’s recent “robotaxi” announcement at its Burbank, California studio, where the contentious AI-generated images were displayed.
Alcon Entertainment asserts that Musk and Tesla had previously sought permission to use images from Blade Runner 2049 for the Cybercab presentation, a request that was denied. Instead, the lawsuit alleges, Tesla used an AI tool to generate visuals mimicking the film’s aesthetic and presented these images as part of Musk’s unveiling of the new self-driving vehicle.
The lawsuit claims that while the AI-generated image was shown for just 11 seconds, Musk made direct references to Blade Runner during the event. Musk reportedly praised the film before contrasting the dystopian vision it portrays with Tesla’s Cybercab, which he described as “less dystopian.”
Alcon contends that Warner Bros., despite hosting the event, does not own the copyright to the film and should have sought permission before allowing Tesla to incorporate imagery inspired by Blade Runner 2049 into the presentation. The production company also voiced concerns over being associated with Musk, citing the billionaire’s divisive political views and outspoken support for former US President Donald Trump.
What we know
Tesla’s Cybercab was unveiled on October 11 by Musk, who has long cited Blade Runner as an influence on his design philosophy. The autonomous taxis, which Musk claims will be priced under $30,000 and produced within three years, lack traditional steering wheels and pedals. However, the announcement failed to excite investors, with Tesla shares dropping 8% the following day, as analysts criticised the lack of detailed timelines and specifications.
Musk’s affinity for the sci-fi genre is well-documented. He previously described Tesla’s Cybertruck as an “armored personnel carrier from the future,” explicitly referencing Blade Runner in social media posts.
Musk’s use of science fiction as an inspiration has drawn criticism from other filmmakers as well. Alex Proyas, director of I, Robot (2004), recently accused Musk of borrowing design elements from his film for Tesla’s vehicles, including the humanoid robot, Optimus.
