Asimov's Laws of Robotics

Abstract

Introduction W ith the death of isaac asimov on april 6, 1992, the world lost a prodigious imagination. Unlike fiction writers before him, who regarded robotics as something to be feared, Asimov saw a promising technological innovation to be exploited and managed. Indeed, Asimov's stories are experiments with the enormous potential of information technology. This article examines Asimov's stories not as literature but as a gedankenexperiment – an exercise in thinking through the ramifications of a design. Asimov's intent was to devise a set of rules that would provide reliable control over semiautonomous machines. My goal is to determine whether such an achievement is likely or even possible in the real world. In the process, I focus on practical, legal, and ethical matters that may have short- or medium-term implications for practicing information technologists. The article begins by reviewing the origins of the robot notion and then explains the laws for controlling robotic behavior, as espoused by Asimov in 1940 and presented and refined in his writings over the following forty-five years. The later sections examine the implications of Asimov's fiction not only for real roboticists, but also for information technologists in general. Origins of Robotics Robotics, a branch of engineering, is also a popular source of inspiration in science fiction literature; indeed, the term originated in that field. Many authors have written about robot behavior and their interaction with humans, but in this company Isaac Asimov stands supreme.