‘Blade Runner 2049’ producers sue Elon Musk and Tesla 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.