"I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

I, Robot is a collection of nine short science-fiction stories, written by Isaac Asimov between 1940 and 1950.

The running theme is robots and the Three Laws of Robotics they’re all programmed with:

1. A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The stories are all either about robots and their relation to humans and humanity, or about various situations where the three laws give rise to unexpected problems.

The first story, for example, is about young Gloria and her robot caretaker “Robbie”. Gloria becomes strongly attached to her mechanical friend, and prefers his company to other children. Something that her mother finds most unhealthy, and conflict ensues.

And the second story, about the recurring duo of test-engineers Powell and Donovan who are out on a field test on a mining base on Mercury. The new robot they are tasked to test, “Speedy”, ends up in a situation that unexpectedly creates a conflict between the second and third law. The problem is urgent, and Powell and Donovan find themselves in a race against time to figure out what’s going on.

Several of the stories are set up just like that: something goes unexpectedly wrong with a robot, a mystery has to be solved, and as a reader you get to try to figure it out along with the characters in the story.

The nine stories are tied together by a framing narrative centered around Dr. Susan Calvin, who is also a key person in several of the stories. She is a so called robopsychologist at US Robot and Mechanical Men, Inc., the leading robot manufacturer.

I like it.

Because the focus is on the social and psychological dimensions of robots, and not on the technology itself, it has aged well.

Many of the themes are still relevant: How should we relate to robots taking over our tasks at work? How can we make sure that robots serve humanity and not hurt it? What are the consequences when our lives are more and more controlled by machines whose inner workings we cannot understand?

Recommended.