Will Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years Ago

Will Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years Ago

Quick Links

  • Did I, Robot Signal the Rise of AI?
  • I, Robot Remains Prescient in Fascinating Ways

As a technology enthusiast who has witnessed the rapid advancements in AI and robotics over the past few decades, I must admit that the movie “I, Robot” still resonates profoundly with me. The film’s portrayal of a future where robots outsmart humans is no longer just a work of fiction but seems to be gradually becoming our reality.


Occasionally, the future can come upon us in ways we don’t anticipate. This year celebrates the 20th anniversary of Will Smith‘s popular sci-fi thriller, “I, Robot” (now available to stream for free on Tubi). Although the film shares its title and basic plot with Isaac Asimov’s short-story collections, they share little else in common. The story, set in 2035, revolves around a detective, Spooner (Smith), who investigates what appears to be the suicide of a US Robotics founder. Despite the Three Laws of Robotics designed to prevent robots from hurting humans, Spooner begins to suspect that an unusually human-like robot, Sonny (Alan Tudyk), may have been behind the murder.

Due to its release coinciding with Will Smith’s peak superstardom, I, Robot became a blockbuster success, earning over $350 million globally on a budget of $120 million. Even twenty years later, it remains significant in the industry for its groundbreaking use of CGI, particularly Alan Tudyk’s motion capture work that brought Sonny to life and made him seem surprisingly human. However, few anticipated the movie’s impact would endure as it did last month when Elon Musk presented a strikingly similar-looking invention at a press conference.

Did Elon Musk Rip Off I, Robot?

Will Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years AgoWill Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years AgoWill Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years AgoWill Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years Ago

At the beginning of October, Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter or X, conducted a presentation at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank. During this event, he showcased designs for a new self-driving Tesla vehicle, which was given the nickname “Robovan,” as well as an updated version of the Tesla Bot known as the “Optimus” series. The press conference was called “We, Robot,” but soon it became apparent to many attendees that this event bore a striking resemblance to Alex Proyas’ 2004 movie rather than just its title.

Initially, the Optimus model bore some resemblance to the NS5 robot from the movie, which one might dismiss as an accident. However, what spectators found harder to overlook was how strikingly alike the Robovan seemed to be with the vehicles portrayed in I, Robot. This similarity sparked a flurry of jokes on Twitter and X about Musk’s designs. Matt Granger, an assistant director working with Alex Proyas on the film, had posted (before deleting it): “I… extend my full-fledged middle finger to Elon and his appalling lack of creativity.

Even Proyas himself joined the conversation, saying, “Elon, could you return my design ideas please?” (He was also vocal about his criticisms towards this year’s remake of The Crow.) It’s worth noting that Musk has not shied away from being accused of claiming others’ work as his own. Martin Eberhard, one of Tesla’s co-founders, alleges that before pushing him out and taking control, Musk initially only invested in the company and was later perceived as a visionary due to the efforts of Tesla’s engineers.

However, not everyone involved with the movie responded negatively, and some were even willing to consider the possibility that Musk took inspiration from I, Robot rather than blatantly ripping it off. Most notably, Patrick Tatopoulos, who designed Sonny, wrote in an Instagram post, “Maybe it is just me, or should I feel honored that Elon found some inspiration in my I, Robot designs… either way it’s fun to watch.”

Did I, Robot Signal the Rise of AI?

Will Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years AgoWill Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years Ago

Independent of whether the design of the Tesla Bot appears to draw inspiration from Proyas’ work or not, the very fact that such a robot exists raises an intriguing point: the world depicted in I, Robot might not be as distant as we think. The film delved into humanity’s age-old apprehension of technological singularity, the moment when human creations surpass human control completely. This fear is addressed by the Three Laws of Robotics, which are designed to prevent this scenario from unfolding. These laws dictate that a robot cannot cause harm to humans, must follow orders given to it, and should protect its own existence (provided it doesn’t conflict with the other laws). Any flaw in these principles could potentially endanger humanity as a whole.

It’s rather doubtful that we’ll witness the sequence of events Elon Musk discussed in a press conference last month unfold during our lifetime. He speculated that humanoid robots would outnumber humans by 2040, but many robotics specialists have deemed this prediction unrealistic. Angelo Cangeloni, a robotics professor at the UK’s University of Manchester, expressed: “While it is possible that over the 25-year timescale, numerous technological advancements could occur, these robots will only excel in specific tasks, not possess human-like qualities.

Despite advancements in technology, such as artificial intelligence, concerns linger about these innovations potentially spiraling out of control in the 2020s. This is especially true in the realm of filmmaking, where AI has shown promise in streamlining production and improving script editing. However, there’s a growing apprehension that it could lead to job losses for professionals like video editors and visual effects artists. The recent simultaneous writers’ and actors’ strikes were largely triggered by the perceived risks that AI poses to employment opportunities within the industry.

Despite the cessation of the disputes, the topic remains sensitive within the field. In an unsettling instance where reality mirrors fiction, a stir was caused earlier this year when people noticed that OpenAI’s latest voice assistant, “Sky,” bore an uncanny resemblance to Scarlett Johansson’s voice from the movie ‘Her’. However, when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that Sky wasn’t designed to mimic her precisely, Johansson took legal action, claiming that the company had contacted her in September 2023. This controversy resulted in OpenAI temporarily halting the use of Sky.

I, Robot Remains Prescient in Fascinating Ways

Will Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years AgoWill Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years AgoWill Smiths I, Robot Predicted the Future 20 Years Ago

Twenty years on, it’s evident that the movie I, Robot foreshadowed the future in numerous unexpected manners. To be honest, few could have predicted how closely Elon Musk’s contemporary Tesla designs would mirror the characters and vehicles depicted in the film, even if he didn’t directly copy them.

While the film explores the anxiety some feel about technology and AI potentially surpassing human importance, it appears that the idea of the future we once envisioned may now be aligning more closely with actuality. Here’s a hint: Catch I, Robot for free on Tubi!

Read More

Sorry. No data so far.

2024-11-07 02:01