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''I, Robot'' is a fixup collection of
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
short stories by American writer
Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov ( ;  – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...
. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines '' Super Science Stories'' and ''
Astounding Science Fiction ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...
'' between 1940 and 1950. The stories were then compiled into a single publication by
Gnome Press Gnome Press was an American small-press publishing company active 1948 – 1962 and primarily known for fantasy and science fiction, many later regarded as classics. Gnome was one of the most eminent of the fan publishers of SF, producing 86 ...
in 1950, in an initial edition of 5,000 copies. All the short stories in this collection, minus the frame story, were later included in
The Complete Robot ''The Complete Robot'' (1982) is a collection of 31 of the 37 science fiction short stories about robots by American writer Isaac Asimov, written between 1939 and 1977.Introduction, ''The Complete Robot'', Isaac Asimov Most of the stories had be ...
(1982).


Overview

The stories are woven together by a framing narrative in which the fictional Dr. Susan Calvin tells each story to a reporter (who serves as the narrator) in the 21st century. Although the stories can be read separately, they share a theme of the interaction of humans,
robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...
s, and
morality Morality () is the categorization of intentions, Decision-making, decisions and Social actions, actions into those that are ''proper'', or ''right'', and those that are ''improper'', or ''wrong''. Morality can be a body of standards or principle ...
, and when combined they tell a larger story of Asimov's fictional history of
robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...
. Several of the stories feature the character of Dr. Calvin, chief robopsychologist at U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc., the major manufacturer of robots. Upon their publication in this collection, Asimov wrote a framing sequence presenting the stories as Calvin's reminiscences during an interview with her about her life's work, chiefly concerned with aberrant behaviour of robots and the use of " robopsychology" to sort out what is happening in their positronic brain. The book also contains the short story in which Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics first appear, which had large influence on later science fiction and had impact on thought on
ethics of artificial intelligence The ethics of artificial intelligence covers a broad range of topics within AI that are considered to have particular ethical stakes. This includes algorithmic biases, Fairness (machine learning), fairness, automated decision-making, accountabili ...
as well. Other characters that appear in these short stories are Powell and Donovan, a field-testing team which locates flaws in USRMM's prototype models. The collection shares a title with the then recent short story " I, Robot" (1939) by
Eando Binder Eando Binder () is a pen name used by two mid-20th-century science fiction authors, Earl Andrew Binder (1904–1966) and his brother Otto Binder (1911–1974). The name is derived from their first initials ''(E and O Binder).'' Under the Eando ...
(pseudonym of Earl and Otto Binder), which greatly influenced Asimov. Asimov had wanted to call his collection ''Mind and Iron'' and objected when the publisher made the title the same as Binder's. In his introduction to the story in ''Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories'' (1979), Asimov wrote:


Contents

* "
Robbie Robbie and Robby, also Robbi and Roby, are given names. They are usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. Robbie is also a s ...
" (1940, revised 1950) * " Runaround" (1942), (novelette) * "
Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...
" (1941) * " Catch That Rabbit" (1944) * " Liar!" (1941) * " Little Lost Robot" (1947) (novelette) * "
Escape! "Escape!" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published as "Paradoxical Escape" (a publisher's change in the title) in the August 1945 issue of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' and reprinted as "Escape! ...
" (1945) * "
Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports the proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the proposition is truth, true. The exact definition and role of evidence vary across different fields. In epistemology, evidence is what J ...
" (1946) (novelette) * " The Evitable Conflict" (1950) (novelette)


Reception

''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' described ''I, Robot'' as "an exciting science thriller
hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...
could be fun for those whose nerves are not already made raw by the potentialities of the atomic age". Describing it as "continuously fascinating", Groff Conklin "unreservedly recommended" the book. P. Schuyler Miller recommended the collection: "For puzzle situations, for humor, for warm character, ndfor most of the values of plain good writing."


Awards


Adaptations


Television

At least three of the short stories from ''I, Robot'' have been adapted for television. The first was a 1962 episode of '' Out of this World'' hosted by
Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...
called " Little Lost Robot" with Maxine Audley as Susan Calvin. Two short stories from the collection were made into episodes of the British series '' Out of the Unknown''. These are "The Prophet" (1967), based on "
Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...
"; and " Liar!" (1969). Both episodes were wiped by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and are no longer thought to exist, although video clips, audio extracts and still photographs have survived. Repurposed robot costumes from the former appeared in the 1968 ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' serial '' The Mind Robber''. The 12th episode of the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
science fiction TV series '' This Fantastic World'', filmed in 1987 and entitled ''Don't Joke with Robots'', was based on works by Aleksandr Belyaev and Fredrik Kilander as well as Asimov's " Liar!" story. Both the
original Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...
and revival series of ''The Outer Limits'' include episodes named " I, Robot" but these are adaptations of an unrelated work by Earl and Otto Binder under their joint
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
"Eando Binder". The Binders' story introduced a recurring character, the robot named Adam Link. In August 2023, David S. Goyer revealed that he had gotten permission from FOX head
Lachlan Murdoch Lachlan Keith Murdoch (; born 8 September 1971) is a British and Australian businessman and mass media heir. He is the son of the media Business magnate, tycoon Rupert Murdoch. He is the executive chairman of Nova Entertainment, chairman of N ...
, a self-professed fan of
Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...
's '' Foundation'', to adapt concepts from ''I, Robot'' to the series' 2023 second season, in "tying emerzel/Daneelinto the ''I, Robot'' laws nddoing a spin-off
mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
that specifically delves into our version of "''The Robot Wars''".


Films


Harlan Ellison's screenplay (1977–1978)

During the late 1970s,
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
acquired the option to make a film based on the book, but no screenplay was ever accepted. The most notable attempt was one by
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...
, who collaborated with Asimov himself to create a version which captured the spirit of the original. Asimov is quoted as saying that this screenplay would lead to "the first really adult, complex, worthwhile science fiction movie ever made." Ellison worked on the project from December 1977 to December 1978. Asimov himself advised Ellison as to the scientific validity of some elements of the script. Ellison's script, taking inspiration from ''
Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's List of directorial debuts, first feature film. ...
'', began with reporter Robert Bratenahl tracking down information about Susan Calvin's alleged former lover Stephen Byerly. This provided for a framing sequence to adaptations of Asimov's stories. These differ from the originals in that they more strongly center around Calvin as a character. Ellison placed Calvin into stories in which she had not appeared and amplified her role in ones in which she did. Although well-regarded by critics, the screenplay is generally considered to have been unfilmable for practical reasons, given the technology and average film budgets of the time. Asimov also believed that the film may have been scrapped owing to a conflict between Ellison and the producers: when the producers suggested changes in the script, instead of being diplomatic as advised by Asimov, Ellison "reacted violently" and offended them. The script was serialized in ''
Asimov's Science Fiction ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine edited by Sheila Williams and published by Dell Magazines, which is owned by Penny Press. It was launched as a quarterly by Davis Publications in 1977, after obtaining Isaac ...
'' magazine in late 1987, and appeared in book form with illustrations by Mark Zug under the title ''I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay'', in 1994 (reprinted 2004, ). Both Ellison and Asimov received credits.


2004 film

The film ''I, Robot'', starring
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...
, was released by
Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
on July 16, 2004 in the United States. Its plot uses elements of " Little Lost Robot", a few of Asimov's character names and the ''Three Laws''. The plot of the movie is original; the screenplay ''Hardwired'' by Jeff Vintar is not based on Asimov's stories. It has been compared to Asimov's '' The Caves of Steel'', which revolves around the murder of a roboticist. Unlike the works by Asimov, the movie featured hordes of killer robots.


Radio

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
aired an audio drama adaptation of five of the ''I, Robot'' stories on their 15 Minute Drama in 2017, dramatized by Richard Kurti and starring Hermione Norris. # ''Robbie'' # ''Reason'' # ''Little Lost Robot'' # ''Liar'' # ''The Evitable Conflict'' These also aired in a single program on
BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes, and is the sister station of Radio 4. It is the pri ...
as ''Isaac Asimov's 'I, Robot': Omnibus''.


Prequels

The Asimov estate asked Mickey Zucker Reichert (best known for the Norse fantasy ''Renshai'' series) to write three prequels for ''I, Robot'', since she was a science fiction writer with a medical degree who had first met Asimov when she was 23, although she did not know him well. She was the first female writer to be authorized to write stories based on Asimov's novels. The follow-ups to Asimov's ''Foundation'' series had been written by
Gregory Benford Gregory Benford (born January 30, 1941) is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is professor emeritus at the department of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. He is a contributing editor of ''Reason ...
,
Greg Bear Gregory Dale Bear (August 20, 1951 – November 19, 2022) was an American science fiction writer. His work covered themes of Interstellar_war, galactic conflict (''The Forge of God, Forge of God'' books), parallel universes (''The Way (Greg Bear ...
, and
David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American science fiction author. He has won the Hugo Award, Hugo,
.
Berkley Books Berkley Books is an American imprint founded in 1955 by Charles Byrne and Frederic Klein owned by the Penguin Group unit of Penguin Random House. History Berkley Books began as an independent company in 1955. It was founded as "Chic News Compa ...
ordered the ''I, Robot'' prequels, which included: * ''I, Robot: To Protect'' (2011) * ''I, Robot: To Obey'' (2013) * ''I, Robot: To Preserve'' (2016)


Popular culture references

In 2004, ''
The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...
'' said that ''I, Robots Three Laws "revolutionized the science fiction genre and made robots far more interesting than they ever had been before." ''I, Robot'' has influenced many aspects of modern popular culture, particularly with respect to science fiction and technology. One example of this is in the technology industry. The name of the real-life modem manufacturer named U.S. Robotics was directly inspired by ''I, Robot''. The name is taken from the name of a robot manufacturer ("United States Robots and Mechanical Men") that appears throughout Asimov's robot short stories. Many works in the field of science fiction have also paid homage to Asimov's collection. An episode of the original ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' series, " I, Mudd" (1967), which depicts a planet of androids in need of humans, references ''I, Robot''. Another reference appears in the title of a '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode, " I, Borg" (1992), in which Geordi La Forge befriends a lost member of the Borg collective and teaches it a sense of individuality and free will. A ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' story, '' The Robots of Death'' (1977), references ''I, Robot'' with the "First Principle", with one character stating: "Robots can't harm humans. It's the first principle." In the film '' Aliens'' (1986), the synthetic person Bishop paraphrases Asimov's First Law in the line: "It is impossible for me to harm, or by omission of action allow to be harmed, a human being." An episode of ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' entitled "
I D'oh Bot "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", also known as "I, D'oh-Bot", is the ninth episode of the The Simpsons season 15, fifteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox netw ...
" (2004) has
Professor Frink Professor John I.Q. Nerdelbaum Frink Jr. is a recurring character in the Animated cartoon, animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the 1991 episode "Old Money (The Simpsons), Old Money". Fr ...
build a robot named "Smashius Clay" (also named "Killhammad Aieee") that follows all three of Asimov's laws of robotics. The
animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
science fiction/comedy ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...
'' makes several references to ''I, Robot''. The title of the episode " I, Roommate" (1999) is a spoof on ''I, Robot'' although the plot of the episode has little to do with the original stories. Additionally, the episode " The Cyber House Rules" included an optician named "Eye Robot" and the episode " Anthology of Interest II" included a segment called "I, Meatbag." Also in " Bender's Game" (2008) the psychiatrist is shown a
logical fallacy In logic and philosophy, a formal fallacy is a pattern of reasoning rendered invalid by a flaw in its logical structure. Propositional logic, for example, is concerned with the meanings of sentences and the relationships between them. It focuses ...
and explodes when the assistant shouts "Liar!" a la " Liar!". Leela once told Bender to "cover his ears" so that he would not hear the robot-destroying paradox which she used to destroy Robot Santa (he punishes the bad, he kills people, killing is bad, therefore he must punish himself), causing a total breakdown; additionally, Bender has stated that he is Three Laws Safe. The positronic brain, which Asimov named his robots' central processors, is what powers
Data Data ( , ) are a collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted for ...
from ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', as well as other Soong type androids. Positronic brains have been referenced in a number of other television shows including ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'', '' Once Upon a Time... Space'', '' Perry Rhodan'', '' The Number of the Beast'', and others. Author
Cory Doctorow Cory Efram Doctorow (; born 17 July 1971) is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who served as co-editor of the blog ''Boing Boing''. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of th ...
has written a story called " I, Robot" as homage to and critique of Asimov, as well as "I, Row-Boat", both released in the 2007 short story collection '' Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present''. He has also said, "If I return to this theme, it will be with a story about uplifted cheese sandwiches, called 'I, Rarebit.'" Other cultural references to the book are less directly related to science fiction and technology. The album '' I Robot'' (1977), by
The Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock music, rock duo formed in London in 1975. Its core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons, and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They shared w ...
, was inspired by Asimov's ''I, Robot''. In its original conception, the album was to follow the themes and concepts presented in the short story collection. The Alan Parsons Project were not able to obtain the rights in spite of Asimov's enthusiasm; he had already assigned the rights elsewhere. Thus, the album's concept was altered slightly although the name was kept (minus comma to avoid copyright infringement). An album, '' I, Human'' (2009), by Singaporean band
Deus Ex Machina ''Deus ex machina'' ( ; ; plural: ''dei ex machina''; 'God from the machine') is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function is general ...
, draws heavily upon Asimov's principles on robotics and applies it to the concept of cloning. The Indian science fiction film '' Endhiran'' (2010) refers to Asimov's three laws for artificial intelligence for the fictional character "Chitti: The Robot". When a scientist takes in the robot for evaluation, the panel inquires whether the robot was built using the Three Laws of Robotics. The theme for Burning Man 2018 was "I, Robot".


See also

* ''I, Robot'' (film)


Citations


General and cited references

*


External links

* *
{{Authority control 1950 short story collections Foundation universe books Gnome Press books Science fiction short story collections Science fiction short story collections by Isaac Asimov