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I, Robot (1950) by Isaac Asimov ⭐⭐⭐
I read the e-book version of I, Robot, which consists of 9 stories about how much robots will (or would have) been the inevitable future of the world.
These stories are a collection that were written by Asimov and published for magazines. They were written over a period of 10 years, and were set in the future, which has since past for us. It chronicles a fictional history of robotics, though it is now dated, since most of the years that are mentioned have already past for us or are very near in our future. Either Asimov was extremely optimistic about the future of robotics, or we are way behind in our development of humanoid robotics.
Now let’s get to my favorite stories of the bunch.
Robbie is my favorite of all the stories in this collection. It is well written, relatable, and probably the most like a Twilight Zone episode that a sci fi story can get. It is about a robot nanny/playmate to a little girl.
Liar! is another of my favorites. It is about a mind-reading robot
Evidence – Is a mayoral candidate a robot?
Some of I, Robot consists of long drawn-out conversations between scientists. Because of this, these parts were dry to me. The entries that had story-driven narratives got my attention the most.
Asimov was the creator of the idea of the positronic brain, which was subsequently used in many other sci fi works, very notably Star Trek (see: Data from TNG), and all of the robots mentioned in I, Robot are equipped with one, no matter how primitive. He was also the creator of the Three Laws of Robotics. These are Laws with which all robots must be programmed.
- First Law: A robot must not harm a human or allow harm to come to a human through inaction.
- Second Law: A robot must obey human orders, unless those orders conflict with the First Law.
- Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence, unless that protection conflicts with the First or Second Law.
This book is essential reading for anyone who calls themselves a sci-fi lover. Just read it.
