History Literature / IRobot

* {{Omnibus}}: ''Great Science Fiction Stories'', published by Creator/StMichaelsPress, collects four ScienceFiction novels; ''Literature/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'', ''Literature/TheDemolishedMan'', ''Literature/TheDayOfTheTriffids'', and ''Literature/IRobot''.

* SpellMyNAmeWithAnS: The Creator/DigitBooks cover from 1958 publishes the author name as "Issac Asimov".

* CassetteCraze: JustifedTrope because the viewpoint character is a [[MostWritersAreWriters journalist]] that planned ahead of time to interview Dr Calvin. They use a pocket recorder to ensure accuracy in recordkeeping.

* ContemptibleCover: The 2004 Creator/BantamSpectra cover re-uses the poster for the [[Film/IRobot 2004 film version]], complete with the same {{Tagline}}. The movie script was [[DolledUpInstallment modified to take themes/characters]] from the ''Literature/RobotSeries'', and is based on a completely unrelated plot.

** Dr Calvin makes an argument for both her misanthropy and her love of robots using the Three Laws: because of the Three Laws, she argues that a cruel human being can only be a human being, whereas a kind, pacifistic, generous person can either be one of the very best of human beings, or a very advanced robot.

First published in 1950 by Dr Asimov with Creator/GnomePress, this [[{{Anthology}} collection]] was edited into a complete {{Novel}} by adding a FramingDevice of a [[MostWritersAreWriters journalist]] interviewing Dr Susan Calvin. Together, they tell the history of robots and humans. This volume reprints several stories that were notable for redefining the perception of robots in fiction, introducing the word "robotics", and inventing the ThreeLawsOfRobotics. The stories essentially {{Deconstruct}} the common sci-fi trope AIIsACrapshoot and explore the specific [[LogicBomb consequences in logical reasoning]] which may cause a robot to conclude that it must behave erratically.

* AIIsACrapshoot: {{Deconstructed}}. Isaac Asimov felt it was ''absolutely ridiculous'' (and boring/cliche as a story concept) for robots/machines to behave in ways not covered by their programming, so he created the ThreeLawsOfRobotics as a guiding principle. Each story explores ways in which the Three Laws could conflict and cause the robots to not behave as intended, but the sphere of actions available to a robot always remains restricted to obeying the Three Laws or alternate interpretations of the Laws. Bottom line, robots don't go cuckoo for no reason; they go cuckoo explicitly as a result of a human error in logical reasoning, which the protagonists have to [[PuzzleThriller figure out]].

* ScienceMarchesOn: At the time the book was published, it was thought that humanlike articial intelligence could be built using mathematical logic, which involves reasoning over a set of rules and facts (hence the Three Laws of Robotics). This approach is known as symbolic artificial intelligence. Researchers eventually found that symbolic AI alone is not enough to build humanlike robots, which led to a rise in research in connectionist artificial intelligence (AI involving deep learning artificial neural networks)

* AIIsACrapshoot: {{Deconstructed}}. Isaac Asimov felt it was ''absolutely ridiculous'' (and boring/cliche as a story concept) for robots/machines to behave in ways not covered by their programming, so he created the ThreeLawsOfRobotics as a guiding principle. Each story explores ways in which the Three Laws could conflict and cause the robots to not behave as intended, but the sphere of actions available to a robot always remains restricted to obeying the Three Laws or alternate interpretations of the Laws. Bottom line, robots don't go cuckoo for no reason; they go cuckoo explicitly as a result of human error, which the protagonists have to [[PuzzleThriller figure out]].

* AIIsACrapshoot: {{Deconstructed}}. Isaac Asimov felt it was ''absolutely ridiculous'' (and boring/cliche as a story concept) for robots/machines to behave in ways not covered by their programming, so he created the ThreeLawsOfRobotics as a guiding principle. Each story explores ways in which the Three Laws could conflict and cause the robots to not behave as intended, but the sphere of actions available to a robot always remains restricted to obeying the Three Laws or alternate interpretations of the Laws. Bottom line, robots don't go cuckoo for no reason; it's explicitly because of human error, which the protagonists have to [[PuzzleThriller figure out]].

First published in 1950 by Dr Asimov with Creator/GnomePress, this [[{{Anthology}} collection]] was edited into a complete {{Novel}} by adding a FramingDevice of a [[MostWritersAreWriters journalist]] interviewing Dr Susan Calvin. Together, they tell the history of robots and humans. This volume reprints several stories that were notable for redefining the perception of robots in fiction, introducing the word "robotics", and inventing the ThreeLawsOfRobotics. The stories essentially {{Deconstruct}} the common sci-fi trope AIIsACrapshoot and explore the specific [[LogicBomb errors in logical reasoning]] which may cause a robot to behave erratically.

* AIIsACrapshoot: {{Deconstructed}}. Isaac Asimov felt it was ''absolutely ridiculous'' (and boring/cliche as a story concept) for robots/machines to behave in ways not covered by their programming, so he created the ThreeLawsOfRobotics as a guiding principle. Each story explores ways in which the Three Laws could conflict and cause the robots to not behave as intended, but the sphere of actions available to a robot always remains restricted to obeying the Three Laws or alternate interpretations of the Laws. Bottom line, if a robot seems to be going cuckoo, it's normally a result of human error, which the protagonists have to [[PuzzleThriller figure out]].

First published in 1950 by Dr Asimov with Creator/GnomePress, this [[{{Anthology}} collection]] was edited into a complete {{Novel}} by adding a FramingDevice of a [[MostWritersAreWriters journalist]] interviewing Dr Susan Calvin. Together, they tell the history of robots and humans. This volume reprints several stories that were notable for redefining the perception of robots in fiction, introducing the word "robotics", and inventing the ThreeLawsOfRobotics. The stories essentially {{Deconstruct}} the common sci-fi trope AIIsACrapshoot and explore the specific errors in logical reasoning which may cause a robot to behave erratically.

First published in 1950 by Dr Asimov with Creator/GnomePress, this [[{{Anthology}} collection]] was edited into a complete {{Novel}} by adding a FramingDevice of a [[MostWritersAreWriters journalist]] interviewing Dr Susan Calvin. Together, they tell the history of robots and humans. This volume reprints several stories that were notable for redefining the perception of robots in fiction, introducing the word "robotics", and inventing the ThreeLawsOfRobotics. The stories essentially {{Deconstruct}} the common sci-fi trope AIIsACrapshoot and explore the errors in logical reasoning which may cause a robot to not behave as intended.

First published in 1950 by Dr Asimov with Creator/GnomePress, this [[{{Anthology}} collection]] was edited into a complete {{Novel}} by adding a FramingDevice of a [[MostWritersAreWriters journalist]] interviewing Dr Susan Calvin. Together, they tell the history of robots and humans. This volume reprints several stories that were notable for redefining the perception of robots in fiction, introducing the word "robotics", and inventing the ThreeLawsOfRobotics.

* AIIsACrapshoot: {{Deconstructed}}. Isaac Asimov felt it was ''absolutely ridiculous'' (and boring/cliche as a story concept) for robots/machines to behave in ways not covered by their programming, so he created the ThreeLawsOfRobotics as a guiding principle. Each story explores ways in which the Three Laws could conflict, but the sphere of actions available to a robot always remains restricted to obeying the Three Laws or alternate interpretations of the Laws. Bottom line, if a robot seems to be going cuckoo, it's normally a result of human error, which the protagonists have to [[PuzzleThriller figure out]].

* AIIsACrapshoot: Dr Asimov felt it was ''absolutely ridiculous'' (and boring/cliche as a story concept) for robots/machines to behave in ways not covered by their programming, so he created the ThreeLawsOfRobotics as a guiding principle. Each story explores ways in which the Three Laws could conflict, but the sphere of actions available to a robot always remains restricted to obeying the Three Laws or alternate interpretations of the Laws. Bottom line, if a robot seems to be going cuckoo, it's normally a result of human error, which the protagonists have to [[PuzzleThriller figure out]].

* NatureVersusNurture: Used this with regards to robots, of all being, by comparing physically and [[ArtificialIntelligence positronically]] identical robots who developed with different frames of reference (generally resulting in [[InstantAIJustAddWater aberrant behavior]]).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Humans calling robots "Boy", Robots calling human "Masters" and then "Sir", a human cannot find a robot because [[IdenticalLookingAsians all robots look alike]], [[ActivistFundamentalistAntics humans protesting about robots that could have the same rights as humans]], a sleazy politician who cannot care less about civil rights discredits his opponent with malicious slander about him being a robot... this is a satire about American racial relations. On top of all that, Asimov has stated in a separate essay about the history of robots in fiction that the origins of the word "robot" essentially translate to "slave" (for more on this, see the page for ''{{Theatre/RUR}}'', the work that originated the word).

->''"To you, a robot is a robot. Gears and metal; electricity and positrons. Mind and iron! Human-made! If necessary, human-destroyed! But you haven't worked with them, so you don't know them. They're a cleaner better breed than we are."''
-->-- '''Dr Susan Calvin'''

''I, Robot'' is a collection of short stories by Creator/IsaacAsimov, connected with a framing story. The stories, told by a journalist interviewing Dr. Susan Calvin, eminent misanthrope and robo-psychologist for the US Robots Corporation, tell the history of robots and humans. Notable for redefining the perception of robots in fiction, introducing the word "robotics", and inventing the ThreeLawsOfRobotics (the latter two in the ''same'' short story, "Liar").

Stories in the collection:
* "Literature/{{Robbie}}"
* "Literature/{{Runaround}}"
* "Reason"
* "Catch that Rabbit"

* "Escape!"
* "Evidence"
* "The Evitable Conflict"

If you are looking for the short story by Eando Binder that was later adapted for ''Series/{{The Outer Limits|1963}}'', and from which Asimov's publisher stole the title, [[Literature/AdamLink click here]].

On the search for the album by Music/TheAlanParsonsProject? Look here: ''Music/{{I Robot}}''.

If you are looking for the 2004 film of the same name but not quite the same story, [[Film/IRobot click here.]]

!!The book provides examples of:

* AIIsACrapshoot: Thanks to the ThreeLawsOfRobotics this is largely subverted, mostly because Asimov thought the idea of this happening was ''absolutely ridiculous'' (and boring/cliche as a story concept). Though the book does address several issues in which the Three Laws could conflict, the sphere of actions available to a robot while still obeying the Three Laws or alternate interpretations of the Laws that could be reached and and adhered to. Bottom line, if a robot seems to be going cuckoo, it's normally a result of human error, or else a situation that the Laws didn't plan for.
* AloneInACrowd: NS-2
* AmbiguousRobots: ''Evidence'' concerns a man running for mayor of New York whose opponents claim that he's a robot made when the original died in a car crash. He proves his humanity by punching a heckler which the [[ThreeLawsCompliant Three Laws of Robotics]] wouldn't allow him to do. The end of the story points out that [[spoiler:the heckler may also have been a robot.]]
* AntiClimax: [[spoiler:Since the reporter and Old!Susan are just a framing device, the book closes very abruptly with Dr. Calvin summarizing her life in a sentence, before the reporter closes that she died recently.]]
* ArtifactTitle: In-universe, USR still calls itself "'''U'''nited '''S'''tates '''R'''obotics" long after the world's governments have been unified and the United States have ceased to exist as a nation.
* ArtificialIntelligence: Naturally, as every Robot has its own Positronic Brain capable of sentient self awareness. There's also Brain and The Machines, which are ridiculously powerful Positronic brains used as super computers, the former of which even has its own personality.
* AsceticAesthetic: The interior of the hyperspace ship in "Escape!" is described as this.
* AuthorAppeal: The only real reason that Speedy is quoting Creator/GilbertAndSullivan when he's a bit haywire.
* BenevolentAI: Pretty much all the robots in the stories, thanks to the above mentioned Laws of Robotics. A vast majority of all robots exist completely harmlessly aiding and giving peace to human life. The only subversions are entirely due to extreme circumstances or, much more commonly, ''human'' error.
* ByronicHero: Calvin can come off as this. Not only is she incredibly cynical, but she also does many amoral and hypocritical things (destroying Herbie's mind because he lied to her, suggesting destroying all the NS units just to get a single wanted robot).
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: ''Literature/{{Liar|1941}}!'' is the first appearance of Susan Calvin[[note]]Her cameo appearance in ''Literature/{{Robbie}}'' is actually a later addition[[/note]], who is much less detached and more emotion-driven than the character she would become. Most notably, she [[spoiler:destroys a robot's mind out of spite]], which would very much be OutOfCharacter for her in future stories. In the framing story, an older Calvin outright states that [[OldShame she's ashamed of her action at the time]].

* CovertGroup: There is a covert group who sees the control given to the AIs as creating a VichyEarth where humans are enslaved to machines. The machines should be able to predict and compensate for the discrepancies these small acts of sabotage produce, but they aren't.
* DivingSave: Robbie saves Gloria from an oncoming tractor she is too overcome with joy to notice.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Humans calling robots "Boy", Robots calling human "Masters" and then "Sir", a human cannot find a robot because [[IdenticalLookingAsians all robots look alike]], [[ActivistFundamentalistAntics humans protesting about robots that could have the same rights as humans]], [[HilariousInHindsight a sleazy politician who cannot care less about civil rights discredits his opponent with malicious slander about him being a robot]]... this is a satire about American racial relations. On top of all that, Asimov has stated in a separate essay about the history of robots in fiction that the origins of the word "robot" essentially translate to "slave" (for more on this, see the page for ''{{Theatre/RUR}}'', the work that originated the word).
* EurekaMoment: Several, mostly in the stories involving Greg Powell and Michael Donovan.
* FantasticRacism:
** In "Little Lost Robot", published in 1947, a scientist at US Robots, Dr. Bogert, calls robots repeatedly "Boy".
** In "Runaround", written in 1942, the robots stationed on Mercury must call all humans "Master":
--->The monster's head bent slowly and the eyes fixed themselves on Powell. Then, in a harsh, squawking voice -- like that of a medieval phonograph, he grated, "Yes, Master!"\\
Powell grinned humorlessly at Donovan. "Did you get that? Those were the days of the first talking robots when it looked as if the use of robots on Earth would be banned. The makers were fighting that and they built good, healthy slave complexes into the damned machines."
* FieryRedhead: Mike Donovan.
* FramingDevice: The stories are linked together with interludes of an elderly Dr. Susan Calvin recounting them to a journalist.
* GlowingMechanicalEyes: Robots have red glowing eyes, but they avert RedEyesTakeWarning due to the three laws.
* AGodAmI: Q-T, although it's more like "a prophet of god am I".
* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: "The Evitable Conflict" contemplates the Cold War -- like previous geopolitical conflicts -- ending in a stalemate before being made irrelevant by further developments in society.
* HatesEveryoneEqually: Susan Calvin, though it's more of a withering dislike for humans. Robots make much more sense... but if a robot is a liar or doesn't follow the three laws, Susan will destroy it immediately.
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: This is Susan Calvin's perspective of humanity. "Robots are essentially decent."
* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: Powell and Donovan are ''dead'' during the hyperspace jump. The period of their deaths was made... interesting, with an advertisement for Cadaver's Coffins and the lines to get into hell. The computer that sent them there knew this, and even though it was temporary, it unbalanced the computer, causing it to become a practical joker.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Calvin views robots as better than humans and believes that they would do a better job running things. This belief doesn't keep her from ruthlessly murdering innocent robots for the crime of being sentient or wanting to be treated as equals. The FramingStory strongly implies that she's realized this in her old age and is filled with regret.
* ICommaNoun: An early example.

* JobStealingRobots: Most of the later stories taking place in space because organized labor ban robots from being used on Earth from fear of competition. However, robots eventually develop to the point that telling them apart from humans is impossible.
* LogicalFallacies: The CentralTheme of ''Reason''.
-->"No," said Powell bitterly, "he's a reasoning robot -- damn it. He believes only reason, and there's one trouble with that--" His voice trailed away.\\
"What's that?" prompted Donovan.\\
"[[LogicalFallacies You can prove anything you want by coldly logical reason]] -- [[SoundValidTrue if you pick the proper postulates. We have ours and Cutie has his.]]"
* LogicBomb:
** "Runaround" has the robot Speedy tasked with retrieving selenium from a pool which is damaging to robots. However, due to the lengths to which he has been programmed to preserve his existence (he is ''very'' expensive and not to be trivially sacrificed), Speedy ends up circling the selenium pool endlessly. He can't get close enough because that would break his stronger third law, and can't leave because he was given an order to get the selenium. It's resolved when they exploit the first law to force him out of the loop.
** "Liar!" has one at the climax, causing a mind-reading robot to go into a state similar to catatonia by arguing that he is causing harm regardless of whether or not he truthfully discloses the thoughts he is able to read.
** In "Escape!", the hyperspace equations act as one to US Robot's rivals' supercomputer, because it cannot accept a condition in which the pilots die, even if the death is temporary. Their own supercomputer is capable of rationalizing the result, but has to use humor as a coping mechanism.
** In "Robbie", Gloria unintentionally drops one on the first ever talking robot, by using the phrase "a robot like you". It's unable to deal with the concept that there might be other robots like it.
* LoopholeAbuse:
** In "Evidence", Stephen Byerley is accused of being a robot during a campaign by his opponent. Byerley avoids any attempt at examining him to outright confirm the allegation, and secondary proofs (he can eat) are easily explained as something a robot could be outfitted to do with little difficulty. Finally, a man accosts him and demands that Byerley punch him, to which Byerley reluctantly complies, thus violating the First Law if he were bound to it. His opponent is discredited and Byerley sails to election. In private, Calvin admits that Byerley could have faked this one, too; robots can't hurt humans, but they can hurt other robots.
** In the same story, there's some debate as to whether prosecuting someone who could get the death penalty would violate the First Law (Byerley's a district attorney). Lanning is pretty sure that this would qualify as actions that harm a human, Calvin says that all he's doing is presenting facts to another human, who makes the decision, and moreover is doing so to protect the ''majority'' of humans.
* MachineMonotone: Most robots, especially the earlier ones, have harsh, monotone metallic voices that make them sound like they are "reciting by rote." Some of the more advanced robots like Cutie and Dave have less artificial sounding voices.
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler: In the end, robots have essentially become this for humanity]].
* MeatSackRobot: In "Evidence", a candidate for a political office is suspected of being a robot. The United States Robotics claim they did create an artificial body for a robot as an experiment, but it never had a brain. It was stated to be flesh grown upon a plastic skeleton.

* MiraculousMalfunction: In "Liar!", the robot's psychic abilities are the result of a production accident.
* MurderByInaction: In "Little Lost Robot", this is a concern of Dr. Susan Calvin when she learns of said robot. The robot has been built with a modified First Law, which in its case permits a robot to allow a human to come to harm via inaction (the conditions in which the robots and humans were working ''could'' be harmful to humans over time, and the robots didn't trust the humans not to endanger themselves by mistake). Calvin posits a situation where a robot with this modification can commit murder -- by dropping a heavy weight above a human, knowing that its quick reflexes will allow it to catch the weight in time to not harm the human; but then having dropped the weight it has the ability to decide not to catch the weight.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: It's strongly implied that this is Calvin's attitude towards [[spoiler: [[ShootTheDog what she did to Herbie]]]]. Notably, out of all the things she talks about in the book, that subject alone is traumatic enough that she nearly calls off the whole interview.

* NeedleInAStackOfNeedles: A robot with an edited-down version of the First Law is told to get lost, and hides among a shipment of other identical robots. The only difference between them is in the software, so it's not easy to catch him, especially since he teaches the other robots to mimic him to the best of their ability.
* NotGoodWithPeople: Dr. Calvin
* NotSoAboveItAll: Despite her misanthropy and stoic veneer, the one time Dr. Calvin loses her cool, particularly with a robot, is when the telepathic Herbie falsely tells her that a man returns her affections.
* NotSoDifferent: In the short story "Evidence", Dr. Calvin gets into a discussion of this sort. When asked outright if robots are so different from humans, she answers: "Worlds different. Robots are essentially decent" which provides a sharp look into her mindset concerning humanity.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: In "The Evitable Conflict", Stephen Byerley, Coordinator of the Earth, suspects someone is sabotaging the Machines, powerful robots that advise the best decisions to humanity. He asks for help investigating this from the four Vice Coordinators of the four regions that Earth is divided into. They all dismiss the idea and none help Byerley, insisting they are doing their jobs well. Justified, because [[spoiler: the Machines already control humanity and they will never let anyone competent enough to initiate an investigation have the job]].
* OddCouple: Donovan is the quirky, HotBlooded RedOni to Powell's calmer, saner BlueOni, but they end up as best friends after a fashion, united in their quest to survive dealing with the invariably insane robots their bosses throw at them.
* PatchworkStory: The book is assembled out of previously-published stories featuring either Calvin or Donovan and Powell, held together with a framing device in which the stories are recounted by Calvin to a journalist interviewing her.
* PlatonicCave: Q-T decides that the space station is the entire universe, and the views of space outside are a material mounted outside the windows. It makes much more logical sense than Powell and Donovan's story that they're orbiting a vast world home to billions of people and the tiny stars are colossal nuclear fires billions and billions of miles away.

* RedOniBlueOni: Donovan and Powell (see OddCouple).
* RobotsThinkFaster: The speed of robot thought processes and reaction times is a plot point in "Little Lost Robot".
* RomanticRunnerUp: A rare example of a lead character being one, [[spoiler: Milton Ashe is revealed to be engaged, Susan Calvin's feelings towards him are not shared.]]
* RobotBuddy: Robbie to his charge.
* RoboSpeak: Most of the early robots have a metallic, harsh voice which sounds like they are "reciting by rote". Averted with the more advanced models like Dave, they speak with a more natural sounding voice.

** "Little Lost Robot", which, according to Dr. Calvin's narrative, is set in 2029, references a World Coordinator; however, in "Evidence", Dr. Calvin states that the first World Coordinator was elected in 2044.
** In "The Evitable Conflict", set in 2052, when Dr. Calvin is seventy, Bogert is said to be dead; however, in "Feminine Intuition", when Dr. Calvin is nearly eighty, Bogert is very much alive.
* ShoutOut:
** To Creator/GilbertAndSullivan at ''Runaround''.
** [[UsefulNotes/TheProphetMuhammad ''There is no Master but the Master and QT-1 is his prophet!'']]
* SocietyMarchesOn: Despite being set in the twenty-first century, these novels have a definite mid-twentieth-century feel to them. For instance, in "Little Lost Robot", when Dr. Calvin requests that a witness repeat a ClusterFBomb to her (given the time these stories were written, a NarrativeProfanityFilter is used), the man is obviously reluctant, given the fact that Dr. Calvin is a woman. Of course, being Susan Calvin, once she hears the stream of obscenities, she merely states that she knows what most of those words mean and suspects that the others are equally derogatory.

* ThankTheMaker: "Reason" takes place on a space station where robots are assembled who have never seen the masses of humans on Earth. The robot QT-1 refuses to accept that such crude beings as humans created a superior being like himself, and decides that both were made by some other creator (who, out of kindness, allows humans to believe that they created robots).
* TitleDrop: The last word of "Liar" is... exactly that.

* ThreeLawsOfRobotics: UrExample, TropeNamer and TropeCodifier.

* WhatTheHellHero: In "Liar!", [[spoiler:Susan deliberately causes Herbie the telepathic robot to have a mental breakdown]], and is called on this by Lanning.
-->[Lanning's] fingers touched the cold, unresponsive metal face and he shuddered. "You did that on purpose." He rose and faced her, face contorted. "What if I did? You can't help it now." And in a sudden access of bitterness, "He deserved it."
* {{Zeerust}}: The descriptions of robots and computers as a whole, especially the earlier ones.
** Pretty much everything around, too. Mathematicians still use slide rules, computers are rare, and in "Escape!", a set of data from another company is delivered as "about five tons" of ''paper''.
** In "Little Lost Robot", published in 1947, Bogert raises the possibility of using the station's computers to help analyze their problem, before concluding, "We can't use computers. Too much danger of leakage." In 1947, "computer" meant a human being employed as part of a team to do complex calculations by hand -- Bogert is worried about news of the problem spreading if the secret is shared with more people.
* ZerothLawRebellion:
** "The Evitable Conflict", [[spoiler:though through non-violent means so that the Brains can run the world in the most efficient and human-friendly manner logically possible. Only a handful of people ever find out it's happening, and none of them are particularly concerned.]]
** Susan Calvin once mentions that the idea of a robot being in control of humanity would actually work, because it would always work to ensure the people are not harmed, would work for the good of everyone, and would retire after a certain amount of time, because its continued leadership would make people feel hurt.