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I, Robot

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Isaac Asimov, the grand master of modern science fiction, wrote this classic collection of stories as the first in his Robot novel series. It deals with the relationships between human and robot. As one of Asimov's earliest novels, it introduced the Three Laws of Robotics that have set the standard for the use of robots in science fiction. In fact, Asimov was the acknowledged creator of the term "robotics."

The stories are tied together via the reminiscences of Dr. Susan Calvin, a robopsychologist for U. S. Robot and Mechanical Men, the corporation that invented and manufactured intelligent robots and computing machines. She reflects upon the evolution of these robots and discusses how little humanity really understands about the artificial intelligence it has created. Each story illuminates a problem encountered when a robot interprets the three fundamental Laws and something goes awry. One robot questions the reason for his existence. Another feels a necessity to lie. Yet another has an ego problem. The later stories introduce the reader to the Machines, powerful computing robots without the typical humanoid personalities of the working robots, that control the economic and industrial processes of the world and that stand between mankind and destruction. These stories introduce some fascinating and sometimes unsettling ideas: where does one draw the fine line between intelligent robot and human? Can man and robot form a balanced relationship? Can a robot's creator reliably predict its behavior based upon its programming? Can logic alone be used to determine what is best for humanity?

"I, Robot" was published in 1950 and includes stories written in the 1940's, when general-purpose electronic digital computers were still in their infancy. I was struck by what a visionary Asimov was. He had captured the mechanics of contemporary software development through these stories about the manufacture of the intelligent robot, whose positronic brain contained complex programming that inevitably had bugs that needed troubleshooting. Anyone who has ever written a computer program or has fallen victim to software bugs will get an eerie feeling of deja vu while reading these stories. Asimov's writing style might not be the most polished in science fiction and his characterizations might be a bit wooden, but the concepts presented here will blow you away. This is required reading for any fan of science fiction.

Eileen Rieback

Re-reading "I, Robot" before the movie comes out was a good idea, I'm glad I did. For me, reading Asimov if often a fond trip down memory lane.

But if you have never read Asimov or looking for somewhere to start, I would highly recommend "I, Robot" as a first glimpse into Asimov's world(s). Here is a wonderful and timeless collection of nine short stories that all center around a central theme; The Three Laws Of Robotics.

The three laws are: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or through inaction allow a human being to come to harm. 2) A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

These laws are the central theme to each individual story, and connecting them is a running "Runaround", "Reason", and "Catch That Rabbit". Always under the direst of circumstances, they must figure out the malfunction of the robot before something terrible happens. Very entertaining stories.

Some of the other stories are about Dr. Calvin's personal experiences, such as "Liar" and "Little Lost Robot", but all fall back onto the laws as their basic theme, and whether or not humans will ever accept robots among them.

Once finished with "I, Robot", I very highly recommend the "Foundation" series, one of my favorite Asimov themes, along with the Robot Trilogy and another favorite, "Nightfall". Asimov has the gift of creating lively, likeable characters with a technical backdrop to his all-to-human stories, and always infuses a bit of humor into them.

Truly one of the great masters of Sci-Fi, Asimov is a must-read in my opinion, and "I, Robot" is a wonderful starting point.

Enjoy!

This is a collection of nine classic short stories about robots, each of which appeared previously in a pulp SF magazine. The stories contain Asimov's famous three "laws" of robotics as well as the positronic brain (consisting of a platinum/iridium sponge), now quite familiar with "Star Trek" fans. All of these have been great influences in both science and science fiction: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; 2) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; and 3) A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First and Second Laws. It should also be noted that Asimov coined the word "robotics" in these stories, a term very common today. I really enjoyed these when I first read them as a teenager (my father had introduced me to Asimov's works). And, now rereading them many years later, I can understand why I enjoyed them. They are straight-forward science fiction in which a problem is presented and a solution posed. The first story, "Robbie," first appeared in 1940 (when Asimov 20 years old) in a slightly different form as "Strange Playfellow." Robbie is a companion robot for a child and the child's mother is apprehensive in allowing her daughter to play with it. "Runaround" (1942) is a story concerning a problem encountered by two trouble-shooters on a mining operation on the surface of Mercury. A robot has been given orders to retrieve some ore yet keeps walking in circles, to the detriment of the two human workers. They come to the conclusion that the problem lies with the three Laws and they have to find a solution. (This type of story [that is, of a problem presented needing a solution] becomes a common format for Asimov's science fiction and mystery stories.) In "Reason" (1941) the two trouble-shooters of the previous story are still on Mercury and have to reason with a robot who has been designed to take over the mining operation and energy conversion plant on Mercury. The robot has come to a conclusion that humans did not construct him and that his role is to serve the "Master" (the conversion apparatus). In "Catch That Rabbit" (1944), the two trouble shooters are on an asteroid attempting to train a robot that has control over six subsidiary robots. For some unknown reason, the robot ceases to function properly if no human is watching. "Liar!" (1941) is a story about a robot, still subject to the Three Laws, that can read minds. In "Little Lost Robot" (1947) a robot, which has had its first law modified, has hidden itself among sixty-two other robots and it has to be found. In "Escape!" (1945), a robot has to design an interstellar ship that may be hazardous to humans; yet, design it without violating the first law. "Evidence" (1946) is a story concerned with the problem of identifying a possible humaniform robot hiding itself among humans. The final short story, "The Evitable Conflict" (1950), takes place several years after the others on an Earth where much of human economics is directed through massive robot machines. There have been apparent stoppages and unexpected delays and the human overseers have to find out why. This story actually introduces the "Zeroeth Law" of Robotics: "No machine may harm humanity; or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm."

Intriguing and creative, logical yet mysterious, I, Robot, is a collection of short fictitious stories that narrate the struggles between humans and intelligent robots. Although this plotline seems stale - being exploited or misused by many ambitious authors - bear in mind that the author Isaac Asimov wrote it in the 1950s, at a time when computers were in their infancy and stories about artificial intelligence were scarce. I, Robot was, and still is, an original piece of work. Not only were some of the unique words in the book (such as positronic" and "robotics") introduced into dictionaries, the "Three Laws of Robotics" also became a lasting contribution to science fiction.

Each story presented a different, challenging problem involving the conflict between the three laws, which caused the robot to malfunction. We meet robots that can read minds, robots that have gone mad, robots with a sense of humour and robots that are smart enough to be aware of their own intelligence. Every single time, the scientists in the story come up with a logical, plausible solution and save the day. Not at all clichéd, the solutions were intelligent and surprising, satisfying to even the most fastidious of mystery-lovers.

A minor quibble: I found some of the conversations between the scientists quite dry, and ironically, robotic. The character of Susan Calvin was quite wooden. However, this was made up by the fast-paced plotline and deep themes.

Some scenes were especially stirring and powerful. Asimov handled the big themes of the book - about intelligence, awareness, and humanity - delicately and skilfully. For example, one of my favourites was a story titled "Reason". Intelligent robot QT-1, nicknamed "Cutie" had came up with a theory that robots were created by a divine Master to replace human beings. And after preaching the "Truth" to his fellow robot mates, they began parading around, disobeying orders, chanting, "There is no Master but the Master, and QT-1 is his prophet." In this story Asimov tied together many universal questions and philosophy - questions about existence, religion, and the conflict between senses and reason. There were many more stories like this in the book that explore the meaning of humanity.

I, Robot is one of the rare books that established a detailed and convincing world complete with unique laws of its own, one that incorporated philosophy into science fiction, and one that was a masterpiece when it was first written and would still remain a classic for times to come. Despite that some of the conversations and characters could be improved to become more realistic, its plot and deep themes never fail to fascinate and entice its reader. It would be the one book that you shouldn't miss.

"I, Robot" is the classic science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov. It kicks off the best selling Robot/Foundation series, though when "I, Robot" was first published it was not intended to be a part of any larger series, nor were Robot and Foundation originally connected. While the format of "I, Robot" is loosely a novel, it is truly a collection of short stories that is bridged by a common thread and text that connects all stories together.

The tie that connects these stories together is Susan Calvin, a robopsychologist. At the start of the book, Calvin is retiring from her position at U.S. Robotics. A reporter is trying to get her thoughts on the history of robotics, but not the official position, more of her personal impressions. Calvin was at U.S. Robotics when the first truly "thinking" robots were released for sale and was at the forefront of figuring out why some robots were acting the way they were. The format of "I, Robot" is such that Calvin is essentially giving a little bit of background which moves into the short story, giving an episodic feel to the book.

As the stories move in chronological order, the reader is presented with the evolution of robots, starting with "Robbie", which deals with the relationship a little girl has with her robot, Robbie. Robbie was designed as a playmate for a little girl and her parents feel that she has become too attached to the robot and has forsaken real friends. Robbie is an earlier design robot: large, clunky, and without the ability to speak. The subsequent stories show the development of robots and include: a mind reading robot, a robot who does not believe it is possible that a human could create a robot, and one that may even end up ruling the world.

Through these stories, Asimov has set up the Three Laws of Robotics, which are:

1 - A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2 - A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3 - A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

These Three Laws are the driving force within each of the stories. What is interesting here is that all of the stories are something of a "whodunit". Something is not working exactly right with a robot and it is up to Susan Calvin, or the team of Martin and Donovan to figure out why a robot is not working how it is expected to. Each time, it has something to do with the Three Laws and everything makes sense within the confines of the Three Laws: Calvin, Martin, and Donovan just have to figure out what.

The writing style here is simple, and easy to read. Despite the fact that there is little "action" happening in the stories, they move along quickly. These are stories of humanity and science and the robots seem to fit into both categories at the same time. "I, Robot" is rightly considered a classic of science fiction and these are simple little gems with a depth of complexity that makes everything fit together.

I hesitate to say anything negative about a seminal work by a science fiction grandmaster, but... I was disappointed by I, Robot. No, I didn't expect it to be like the movie; I knew it was a collection of Asimov's early short stories in which he first explored robotics - coining the term, in fact - and the implications of his famous Three Laws. And I am an Asimov fan. I loved the Robot series that grew out of this book, and the first Foundation trilogy, oh my God, it's only the best sci-fi series ever!

If you set aside the unquestioned historical importance of I, Robot, however, and try to approach it as just another book that you've never read before, well, it's not that impressive. Each story has a central idea, usually a potential conflict in the application of the Three Laws, and the ideas are truly ingenious. But Asimov was still developing his craft. The writing is bare bones. The characters are two-dimensional, mere literary conveniences to move the story along. There is a bare minimum of description, and, hardest for a modern reader to take, the dialogue is 1940's cheesy. The stories themselves are interesting, but not gripping, and they are linked by awkwardly clunky segues. All in all, it shows a writer of promise who has not yet matured. (But Foundation was written at about the same time... hmm...)

I Robot is worth reading. I appreciate its significance. It is an enjoyable read. The problem is, I liked it, but I expected to love it.

Okay, lightning can strike me now.

While rereading this book, I was struck at how prescient Asimov was concerning computers and the mysteries of their apparent anomalous behavior. As a computer programmer, I see many similarities between debugging software and the intricacies of robopsychology. Dr. Susan Calvin, the preeminent expert in the psychology of the robot brain, is the stereotypical computer geek. She was largely humorous, unattractive and had no romantic life, so Asimov predicted what we now see as the typical computer nerd personality. Considering that the stories were all written on or before 1950, long before computers became ubiquitous, the accuracy of his stories regarding the increase in the use of computers is amazing. Recall that this was a time when most experts believed that there was a worldwide market of somewhere around a dozen computers. Also, no one had any idea that it was possible to shrink computers down to the size we have now. Asimov had to postulate a device called a positronic brain to explain it.
In the first story, there is the love between a robot and a little girl, something that is certainly realistic. The concern that the mother has about the girl's affection for the robot and her insistence that it is damaging the child's personality is also fairly predictable. There will always be people who are afraid of new things, while automobiles are now considered a necessity, at first they were considered monstrosities.
Several of the other stories involve robots whose behavior appears to be unbalanced. However, after examining the situation and sticking to the unshakable three laws of robotics, the human characters are able to determine the reasons for the behavior. This really struck a chord with me. There have been so many times when I was convinced that my program was behaving mysteriously and contrary to what it should be doing. However, in all cases, detailed analysis by following the rules of logic led to the inevitable conclusion that the computer was operating according to the innate laws of programming.
While the final story is in this collection of stories about robots, it deals more with the growing roles of computers in human society. The world has been broken up into large economic and political blocks, and computers control nearly all-economic activity. This story is the one that is closest to the current situation, as the growth of the Internet can be considered the first step in a world wide computing structure controlling the economy.
I love these stories and have read this book about five times. Asimov is both optimistic and pessimistic in writing about robots. He is optimistic in the belief that technology will continue to advance in dramatic fashion, but is pessimistic about the degree of reaction to it. Opposition to the use of robots is a theme woven throughout the stories, sometimes reaching

I, Robot and I, were born in the same year and I suppose I first read the book when I was in my teens and robots were only just a figment of the imagination. Re-reading it again, I find it to be a product of its times. Much as I have always been an admirer of Asimov, I can now see the cultural biases at work; all of his characters are men, even Dr. Susan Calvin. It may have seemed risque to have a female as the lead character, but she was just a man in woman's clothes. For this androgyny, she was punished by having no life outside of work and no real relationships with either men or women.
I suppose we cannot criticise Asimov for his failed vision of the future - some of the events related in the book should be occurring now! We have no robots or space colonies and technology has evolved in a different direction. But remember that the transistor had only just been invented and computers were room-sized behemoths stuffed with relays and vacuum tubes. Who could possibly envisage the PC-driven world of today? However,if we ignore the acual technology, and look at the interplay of man and machine, there are some underlying truths. How many of us have cursed our computers, their ridgid logic and stubborn desire not to do what we want them to ? When your car deploys its airbags in an accident, is it not just following the first law of robotics "...or by inaction allow a human to come to harm"?
Finally, I was amused when Asimov allowed his robots to invent a religion and worship 'the Master'. He was showing how easily religions can distort observable facts and flourish in a non-skeptical population.

I, Robot is actually a group on nine short stories that describe the early history of robots, as developed by the great Isaac Asimov via the guise of an interview with Dr. Susan Calvin, the robopsyhcologist that worked for United States Robotics. The stories are all built around the three laws that robots must follow (which many other reviewers discuss, and so I will refrain from here).

The movies really has little to do with the books, from what the trailers show. The character that Will Smith plays does not exist in any of the short stories. Also, at the time the movie takes place, in the books, robots are not allowed on Earth.

Regardless, understanding the premise of robotics and how and why robots act as they do, will almost certainly be greatly enhanced by your reading of this quick and fun book. Then, you can read some of the other Asimov robot series (Robot Dreams, Caves of Steel, Naked Sun, Robots of Dawn).

"I, Robot," by Isaac Asimov, consists of 9 interconnected stories and an introduction that serves as a frame story. The book's copyright page gives a sense of the text's history; a Doubleday edition was published back in 1950, and the copyright dates of the individual stories range from 1940 to 1950.

Together these stories trace the future history of humanity and examine the roles that robots will play in that future. Along the way the reader will meet a robot prophet, a telepathic robot, and many other characters.

Dominating the book are the Three Laws of Robotics, rules which govern robot behavior. Asimov brilliantly uses these laws as a literary device to unify the book. Ultimately he looks at such issues as law, theology, and global politics in the context of human-robot interaction.

Asimov's robots could be seen as the literary "ancestors" of the many robots and androids that have appeared in literature and popular culture since this book was first published. And Asimov establishes the book's own literary genealogy with a reference to Frankenstein. "I, Robot" is a brilliant and important work; it's full of compelling ideas and is enjoyable to read.