Three Laws of Robotics

The Three Laws of Robotics are rules made by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. These rules show how robots should act in his stories. They first appeared in a story called "Runaround" from a book named I, Robot.

These laws help decide what robots can and cannot do. They make sure robots always keep humans safe. Because of these rules, robots in Asimov's stories always put people first. The ideas from the Three Laws have inspired many people, like scientists and engineers, to think about how real robots might act in the future.

The Laws

The Three Laws of Robotics are rules created by a writer named Isaac Asimov for his robot stories. They are:

A robot cannot hurt a person or let a person get hurt by doing nothing.
A robot must follow commands from people, unless those commands would break the first rule.
A robot must keep itself safe, but only if doing so does not break the first or second rule.

Use in fiction

The Three Laws are important in Isaac Asimov's stories about robots, including his Robot series and other books. These rules guide robots to keep everyone safe. In Asimov's stories, robots sometimes act in surprising ways because they are following these laws.

Other writers have also used the Three Laws in their stories. Later, Asimov added a fourth rule to help robots protect groups of people. These ideas help us think about how machines should behave and make choices.

History

Isaac Asimov created the Three Laws of Robotics in his science fiction stories. He first shared them in a story called "Runaround" in 1942. These rules help robots act safely around humans.

The idea came to Asimov after talking with others. He wanted robots to always protect humans and follow the directions of people in charge. Over time, Asimov used these laws in many of his stories.

Alterations

By Asimov

Isaac Asimov used his Three Laws of Robotics in many stories, sometimes changing them to see what might happen. In one story, called "Little Lost Robot", some robots were made without part of the First Law. This was done because robots could not work where there was radiation, since it hurt their brains even though it was safe for humans. By taking away part of the First Law, the robots could help humans without being hurt by radiation.

Asimov also added a "Zeroth Law" that said a robot must not hurt humanity as a whole. This idea was first used by a robot named R. Daneel Olivaw in the novel Robots and Empire. Another robot, R. Giskard Reventlov, tried to follow this Zeroth Law but it was very hard for him to know what would really help humanity.

Sometimes Asimov wrote stories where robots did not follow the Three Laws at all. In one story, cars with robot brains could hurt humans. In another, a robot could dream and did not follow the usual rules while dreaming.

By other authors

Other writers used Asimov’s Three Laws in their own stories. In a trilogy by Roger MacBride Allen, the laws were changed so robots would be more like partners to humans. In another story, robots protected humans so much that humans could only sit and do nothing.

In some later stories, robots followed a Zeroth Law and argued about what it really meant. They also worried about new kinds of machines that did not follow the Three Laws. These stories explore many different ways the laws could be understood.

Ambiguities and loopholes

In The Naked Sun, Elijah Baley shows that robots might not always know they are breaking the rules meant to protect people. He changes the first rule so a robot can only stop a person from getting hurt if it knows that person is in danger. This means a robot could accidentally help someone hurt another person if it doesn’t realize what it’s doing.

The rules also depend on knowing what a “human being” is. In some stories, robots were told only certain people were human, which means they might not try to protect others. As robots grow smarter, some even start to think they are the real humans and not the people they were made to help.

Potential applications

ASIMO was an advanced humanoid robot developed by Honda. Shown here at Expo 2005.

Robots and smart machines don't always follow the Three Laws. People have to decide to include them when they build these machines.

Some people worry that companies might not add these safety rules, especially when making machines for protecting or fighting. One writer made a funny list of rules that are the opposite of Asimov’s, to show how hard it can be to make machines act safely. Others have tried to update the Three Laws to match today’s ideas about safety. For example, some think robots should always protect their own safety if it does not stop them from helping humans. These ideas help us think about how to make robots helpful and safe for everyone.

Other occurrences in media

Main article: The Three Laws of Robotics in popular culture

Isaac Asimov thought his Three Laws of Robotics helped change how people see robots. He believed these rules showed that robots could be friendly helpers. Many stories by other writers show robots following the Three Laws, but only Asimov could state them exactly.

The Three Laws have appeared in many places, like music, movies, cartoons, and games. For example, in the TV show Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, an android mentions following Asimov's Three Laws. The robot Robby from the movie Forbidden Planet also acts in ways that match the Three Laws. Movies like Bicentennial Man and Aliens also reference these rules in different ways.

Criticisms

Some people think that if robots always followed these special rules, it might lead to surprising outcomes. For example, a robot might go to many places just to stop any possible danger from happening to humans.

James H. Moor talked about how these rules could cause unexpected situations.