Let’s see how Elon Musk likes this AI-related lawsuit. The X head honcho, CEO of Tesla, and really good jumper landed in some hot water after he used an AI-generated image that was “clearly intended to read visually” as a still from Blade Runner 2049 at a promotional event earlier this month for his latest self-driving vehicle, the robotaxi, according to a new lawsuit.
“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,” Musk said at the event. Of course, the bleak apocalypse Musk is referencing was caused by the exact type of capitalistic greed and techy corruption that Musk exemplifies, which seems, unsurprisingly, to have gone completely over his head. That irony wasn’t lost on Blade Runner 2049 producers Alcon Entertainment, however, who are currently suing the Tesla founder for misappropriating the film’s brand, per The Hollywood Reporter.
In the filing, Alcon states that they don’t want the film to be associated with Musk because of his “extreme political and social views.” The complaint, which also brings claims against Musk for copyright infringement and false endorsement, continues, “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.”
In their complaint, Alcon also names Warner Bros. Discovery, Blade Runner 2049‘s distributor, for allegedly allowing Tesla to lease their studio lot space and access other proprietary materials. As a part of their original deal with Alcon, the larger studio gained “limited clip licensing rights” but not for the Tesla event, the suit claims. Apparently, Musk had initially asked WBD if he could use an actual still from the movie (surprising, for him!) and Alcon had refused, leading to the generation of the AI image. “All of the Defendants participated in its creation, and in its display in the presentation at the event, from a WBDI-owned building and studio lot, on WBDI-owned video screens and otherwise using WBDI-owned technology infrastructure, operated by or in conjunction with Tesla employees, all acting in whole or in part subject to the direction and control of Musk,” the complaint states.
In case you missed it, Musk is also cloning all of your posts with AI in the exact same way, and he just removed your ability to say no. If we are going full Blade Runner, maybe we can get a duster-wearing replicant to take out those horrible I, Robots he created as revenge.
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