A Hollywood film production company behind Blade Runner 2049 sued Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday for using an AI-generated image that allegedly resembles a scene from the 2017 movie to promote Tesla's new robotaxis.
Alcon Entertainment filed the lawsuit against Musk, Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery—the movie's distributor that hosted a October 10 event promoting Tesla's robotaxis—in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The complaint says Alcon denied a request by Musk and the companies to use imagery from Blade Runner 2049 at the event, but Tesla allegedly used artificial intelligence to "do it all anyway."
During the event, Musk made his way to the stage in a Tesla "Cybercab," and he then proceeded to reference the science fiction film during his speech. A screen behind Musk showed a man wearing a long coat overlooking a city in ruins, which Alcon says resembles a scene in Blade Runner 2049 when star Ryan Gosling stops at a decimated Las Vegas.
"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 from the stage. "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."
The copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Alcon alleges that the defendants had sought permission to use images from Blade Runner 2049 "mere hours" before the October 10 event, but Alcon "refused all permissions and adamantly objected."
The Associated Press (AP) said Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In its complaint, Alcon noted it is working on a Blade Runner 2099 series for Amazon and the alleged improper image use at the robotaxi event could affect potential product partnerships with other automotive companies.
Alcon also took exception with Musk himself, who has recently boosted his political donations to former President Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. On Saturday, Musk announced on X (formerly Twitter) that his political action committee would be giving away $1 million every day until November 5 to "someone in swing states who signed our petition to support free speech and the right to bear arms."
"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's lawsuit reads. "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."
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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