Last week, Elon Musk introduced “Optimus” robots at the Tesla conference, which many said felt like something out of a futuristic movie.
The event, titled We, Robot, a nod to the sci-fi film I, Robot starring Will Smith, took place at Warner Bros Studios in California. While the title may have seemed clever at first, the reference to a robot uprising didn’t sit well with many. Videos of these humanoid robots flooded the internet, and some viewers found the robots to be unsettlingly advanced.
Optimus is designed to mimic human behavior as closely as possible. In the future, it could serve as a household assistant, capable of cleaning, babysitting, or even cooking—basically, anything a human can do. Musk estimates the robots will cost between $20,000 and $30,000.
What surprised people the most, however, was Optimus’s ability to engage in quick and friendly conversation. In several videos, people were seen having normal conversations with the robots. One particularly striking moment occurred when a man asked Optimus what the hardest part about being a robot was. Optimus replied, “I’m trying to learn to be more like you, and that’s something I work on every day. I hope you’ll help us get there.” This response startled many on social media, with users commenting, “This is how that movie (I, Robot) started.”
