The First Law of Robotics

Decades ago, writer Issac Asimov wrote a series of short stories which will later be known as the I, Robot series. The label science-fiction would be attached to his name yet Asimov’s stories couldn’t be considered be “hard” science-fiction by today’s standards as he was more interested in the story, in his characters, rather than bothering to explain how this or that phenomena worked—such problems were presumed to be solved (and in fact a lot of authors we label as science-fiction writers follow that trend such as Ray Bradbury or Philip K. Dick). His ideas, however, had a big impact on the genre, and Asimov would be known for establishing the three laws of robotics.

I won’t bore you with the details on the laws of robotics or its implications. What’s important for most people to know is the most important rule that governs their programming: robots can’t harm humans. To the uninitiated, it’s not supposed to make an impact. We’ve seen the rule broken after all numerous times: in books, in TV, and in movies (especially in the movie adaptation of Asimov’s book I, Robot). Recently, I was reading the manga series of Naoki Urasawa entitled Pluto, which is a modern adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy). I’m sure most of us know who Astro Boy is (Atom is his original Japanese name) and perhaps he is one of the best models for the Asimov robot—kind, loving, and while he possesses ability to do great harm, he never hurts people (it is even interesting that the fates of Asimov’s Danee and Tezuka’s Atom evolve to be more humanlike as their story progresses). It is here that I begin to catch a glimpse of the significance of Asimov’s contribution.

Asimov’s take on robots isn’t the first nor will it be the last. As years pass by, even our very definition of robots will change—perhaps cyborgs will soon be considered robots or non-intelligent machines will only be given that term. What robots have in store in fiction—and the real world—remains to be seen. The laws of robotics, however, are important in the same way Descartes made a big impact in philosophy: it gives us a starting ground to mutually talk about the idea. Whether robots obediently follow their programming or run rampant and wreak havoc, those conclusions are derivations of the laws of robotics, whether they are followed to the letter or completely corrupted.

Perhaps in the end, we must also remember that books are dependent on their creators and programmers in the same way books are dependent on their authors and their readers. Asimov may have not physically built the first fully functional robot but it is his vision that has paved the way for such ideas to come to fruition and made reading such tales an enjoyable experience.