Winner of Elon Musk’s $100K AI 'Odyssey' contest is painfully inaccurate
Elon Musk's tirade against the recent release of The Odyssey has seen him give away $100,000 to the winner of an AI content, yet the 'painfully inaccurate' recreation of Homer's epic has left many in a fit of laughter.
It is estimated that The Odyssey was written between 2,700 and 2,800 years ago, and across that lengthy period of time it has been adapted and translated in numerous different ways.
Christopher Nolan is the latest to bring The Odyssey to light with a new film following the return of Odysseus to Ithaca, yet his decision to cast certain actors didn't sit right with Elon Musk, who excessively vented his frustrations on social media before and after the movie's release this year.
In a bid to right the wrongs of Nolan's film – which was also torn apart by Emily Wilson, who herself offered a 'modern' version of the poem – Musk offered his followers on X the opportunity to earn $100,000 by creating their own AI generated adaptation, yet the victor isn't quite as impressive as some might have hoped.
Elon Musk's AI Odyssey winner marred by inaccuracies
It was filmmaker Nem Perez who emerged victorious from Elon Musk's competition, with the official Grok Imagine account revealing his $100,000 prize.
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"@NemPerez's five-minute film puts the Phaeacians and Princess Nausicaa back in the story," the announcement reads. "Odysseus washes up on their shore and tells her what kept him going: the memory of his wife, his son, and home. Faces, locations, and voices were all made in Grok imagine."
While the five-minute-long clip has the typical look of an AI generated video – which you'll either love or hate depending on your disposition – it's also plagued with glaring inaccuracies that show the flaws of AI, regardless of how extensive the prompts may be.
Polyphemus, otherwise referred to as the Cyclops, features three eyes instead of the one that he is most famous for, and there are also obvious inconsistencies in size between cuts.
The appearance of the various gods is also inconsistent with the more 'realistic' stylings of the rest of the trailer, with Poseiden in particular appearing more akin to a cartoon than anything else.
Historical inaccuracies – a feature of many complains directed towards Nolan's film – are also present when it comes to armor, as Greek soldiers appear to be wearing protection that fits the description of Roman legionnaires.
Plenty of people were pleased with Perez's production in the replies – although Musk himself hasn't offered his opinion in any form – yet inevitably there are also plenty of others who have branded the creation 'slop'.
What were Musk's grievances with Nolan's adaptation?
Like many things, Musk's issues with The Odyssey relate to claims surrounding 'wokeness', with the world's richest man accusing Nolan of bowing to the demands of Hollywood, especially in relation to the casting.
Musk took particular umbrage with the involvement of Elliot Page, a trans man, and Lupita Nyong'o, a black woman, claiming that both contributed to 'historical inaccuracies' that harmed the cultural integrity of the original text.
He even suggested that The Odyssey served as part of a wider effort to undermine traditional culture, spreading also that the involvement of the aforementioned actors was in order to satisfy new Oscar requirements, as per The Guardian, which is not true.
In a bid to downplay and dethrone Nolan's adaptation – which has since gone on to earn nearly $1.7 billion worldwide – Musk even offered Mel Gibson $100 million for the chance to direct his own version of the poem, although it's unclear whether this is actually going ahead or not.