Isaac Asimov’s short story “The Runaround” introduced the Three Laws of Robotics, which were later explored in his novel I, Robot. The laws aim to protect robots and their human users, but there are loopholes and conflicts. Asimov’s work continues to be relevant as the scientific community debates how to protect humans from robots. The Three Laws are a stepping stone for anyone researching or creating robots today.
In 1942, beloved science fiction writer Isaac Asimov wrote a short story, “The Runaround.” In it, scientists are perplexed by the bizarre behavior of a robot named Speedy, who cannot complete a task, although he must obey humans, because the task carries a danger to the robot. Instead of being able to follow orders, Speedy sings snippets of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and runs in circles. This comic story introduces the Three Laws of Robotics, rules usually memorized by science fiction fans and familiar to a growing number of scientists.
The Three Laws of Robotics became Asimov’s springboard for exploring all situations where the laws contradicted each other or were unworkable. His early “robot” stories became diverse and were later published in book form in the novel I, Robot. What is clear through Asimov’s work is that although the Three Laws of Robotics were intended to protect robots with relative intelligence and to protect their human users, there were loopholes and problems.
It would be easy to compare the three laws of robotics to the Hippocratic oath, as there are similarities. The laws listed below are quoted from “The Runaround”.
A robot cannot injure a human or, by inertia, allow a human to take harm.
A robot must obey orders given to it by humans, unless such orders conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
In Speedy’s case, his order to collect the selenium is overruled by the fact that doing so puts him in grave danger. He is trying to protect his own existence, but also to obey his orders. This result is strange behavior and a very comical story.
In the short stories of I, Robot and Asimov’s later novels The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, Robots of Dawn, and Robot and Empire, Asimov continues to explore the inherent conflicts of obeying all three laws and adds an additional law, the Zeroth Law, which states that robots cannot harm humanity or that by failing to act, they allow humanity to suffer harm.
Some people may wonder why short stories written as early as the 1940s have any relevance to the present day. Like many science fiction writers, Asimov dreamed of what people would discover next. Since we now have robots and “smart” machines of different types, there is a serious discussion in the scientific community about the laws needed to protect these expensive machines and, more importantly, to protect human beings from them. Implementing the three laws of robotics is not straightforward, and theories about the practical applications of the laws for robots, based on Asimov’s novel, are the subject of much debate.
What must be remembered, of course, is that Asimov presents us with problems that stem from the Three Laws of Robotics, and rarely with a full set of conclusions about how to counter the inherent inconsistencies in the laws. They are however a stepping stone for anyone researching or creating robots today, and may be worth learning about the laws as we continue to advance the robotics field.
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