Video: Robot Dog With Head Of Elon Musk Roams US Streets, Divides Internet

A four-legged robot sporting the hyper-realistic face of Elon Musk was spotted in San Francisco recently. The machines waved, squatted, lifted a leg in greeting and even barked back at curious real dogs. According to a report by The New York Post, the 'dog-bots' were displayed to promote Beeple's new Palo Alto exhibition.

The robot dogs are reportedly being displayed at the digital arts centre, called NODE. Beeple, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, installed these machines for the "Regular Animals" exhibition.

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The 'Musk-bot' wasn't alone in concept. The project also includes versions with Jeff Bezos, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Beeple himself. But it was the faces of Musk and Zuckerberg that hit San Francisco sidewalks, with real dogs occasionally wandering up to sniff and bark at their mechanical counterparts.

According to reports, these robots are built from a Unitree Go2 quadruped and a hyperflesh silicone mask. The report mentioned that the creators are planning to keep the robots alive for three years. After that, they will die, and their memories will be preserved.

It's unclear if Musk or Zuckerberg approved the use of their likenesses. But social media had mixed opinions, with some calling it "disgusting" and "disturbing", while others said it's "brilliant" and "hilarious."

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Watch the video here:

A deeply unsettling robot dog bearing the eerily realistic face of Elon Musk was spotted mid-walkies on the streets of San Francisco this week. pic.twitter.com/I0rGDNoEwE

— The Internet Remains Undefeated (@WebUndefeated) April 13, 2026

"NODE is a home for artists defining digital culture today. Beeple's Regular Animals are a physical embodiment of that culture, and we're proud to bring a piece of it here to Silicon Valley," a NODE representative told The San Francisco Chronicle.

Onlookers near Oracle Park and the SoMa district stopped in their tracks as a flesh-colored silicone head of Elon Musk moved past on a robotic dog body.

As quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle, Node director Phil Mohun said, "Sending Elon into the streets is a way to bring that energy into public life ahead of the exhibition opening next week, and the reaction has been exactly what Beeple's work does so well: it stops people in their tracks and gets them talking."

The report further mentioned that the head is part of the "INFINITE_LOOP" event, which serves as "a mid-career survey of the work of Mike Winkelmann, known globally as Beeple."

"INFINITE_LOOP asks what happens when repetition becomes a kind of infinity," NODE says. "The exhibition extends this principle beyond the artist himself, inviting visitors to exhibit their own digital artworks alongside the main installation, blurring the line between spectator and creator."