Tesla’s new Optimus robot has caused a worrying stir after its grand reveal at the company’s much-anticipated ‘We, Robot’ event held at Warner Bros studios in California on Thursday (October 10).

A squad of the humanoid robots strutted onto the stage to massive applause, with CEO Elon Musk boasting that Optimus had “progressed dramatically year after year” since its initial announcement back in 2021.

Tech tycoon Musk hailed the bot as his firm’s “most significant product ever,” as it was showcased alongside Cybercab – a futuristic self-driving taxi said to hit the market for less than £23,000 in 2026.

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“It’ll do anything you want,” Musk promised about Optimus. “It can be a teacher, babysit your kids, it can walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries. Just be your friend, serve drinks. Whatever you can think of, it will do.”

After the show, footage of an interview with Optimus flaunting its skills went viral, but one particular answer from the robot raised eyebrows among viewers. With countless sci-fi novels and movies painting a grim picture of robots ruling over humans, some spectators are now genuinely spooked that this fiction could soon turn into fact.

“A conversation between Tesla Optimus bot and a human is the best thing you’ll see on the internet today,” tweeted user DogeDesigner (@cb_doge), sharing the clip. In the video, Optimus kicks off the chat by saying hi to interviewer John, before inquiring about his wellbeing and origins.

“That’s wonderful,” cheers Optimus politely in response, before quizzing John about his exact whereabouts in San Jose, throwing out names of a few neighbours in the city. When John asks Optimus where it lives, meanwhile, it reveals the location of its factory, adding: “That’s where they train us, that’s where we get our builds – they’re wonderful, super people.”

And when John probes: “What’s the hardest thing about being a robot?” there’s a split-second pause before Optimus eerily confesses: “Trying to learn how to be as human as you guys are.”

John laughs, before Optimus interrupts, to add: “And that’s something I try to do harder every day and I hope that you’ll help us become that.” It prompted some X users to immediately express concerns, with one person penning: “‘Learning to be as human as you are’ is crazy.”

Another added in fear: “I’m scared of that response. When it comes to intelligence, people are limited to certain concepts or agenda that which it takes only limited to invest on those. As for internet driven machine those things are not limited to anything and they can tell based on your response.”

A third reacted with alarm, saying: “The last 20 seconds of this clip should make your blood go cold. Most won’t take this seriously.” While a fourth had mix feelings about the technological advance, adding: “On one hand, I’m excited for this kind of future… On the other hand, I have a feeling it will be another invention that, despite the creators’ assurances, will further alienate people and have a negative impact on us all.”

Elsewhere, others questioned the extent of artificial intelligence involved in the project, with one X user affirming: “Fake. I’m convinced that’s a human feeding voice lines through the robot. It sounds too natural. It’s even interrupting speech like I do when there’s a delay in Xbox chat. Evidence of a voice actor in control.”

And a second sceptic agreed, responding: “I guarantee you that’s a human speaking remotely through a mic and speaker.”