I, Robot was published by Gnome Press in 1950, collecting nine stories originally published in Astounding Science Fiction and Super Science Stories between 1940 and 1950. The stories are linked by a framing narrative in which Dr. Susan Calvin, the chief robopsychologist of U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc., looks back over her career, each story illustrating a different aspect of the Three Laws of Robotics:
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Asimov’s innovation was to treat robots not as menacing Frankenstein monsters but as engineering products governed by precise behavioral rules — and then to explore the logical paradoxes, edge cases, and unintended consequences that arise when those rules interact with complex real-world situations. Each story is essentially a logic puzzle: the robot’s behavior seems irrational until the investigators (usually Calvin, or the field-testing team of Powell and Donovan) figure out which Law is producing the unexpected result and why.
The Three Laws became one of the most influential thought experiments in the history of technology ethics. They are routinely cited in discussions of artificial intelligence safety, autonomous weapons policy, and the governance of AI systems.
Collecting I, Robot
First edition (Gnome Press, New York, 1950): Red cloth boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine in dust jacket: $5,000–$15,000
- First edition, very good in jacket: $2,000–$5,000
- Without jacket: $300–$800
People Also Ask
What are Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics? (1) A robot may not injure a human or allow a human to come to harm. (2) A robot must obey orders except where they conflict with the First Law. (3) A robot must protect its own existence except where this conflicts with the First or Second Law.
Is the I, Robot movie based on the book? The 2004 film starring Will Smith shares the title and the Three Laws concept but has an original plot not directly based on any of Asimov’s stories. The book is a collection of nine linked short stories.