The First Law

The First Law: Short story by Isaac AsimovIn this story by Isaac Asimov, a group of scientists are astounded when a colleague relates how a new model robot disobeyed the first and most fundamental 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. The story is set on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. The robot, especially designed to navigate in Titan’s deadly zero-visibility storms, leaves the protagonist to die in one of them. Although the robot had a legitimate reason for its actions, the new model was discontinued immediately.

For anyone interested, Asimov later added a fourth law. Called the “Zeroth”, because it stands above the other three, it states: A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

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