The Three Laws of Robotics in popular culture

References to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics have appeared in a wide variety of circumstances. In some cases, other authors have explored the Laws in a serious fashion. Other references, like those made in the satirical newspaper The Onion, are clearly parodic.

Print media

  1. A Rowboat may not immerse a human being or, through lack of flotation, allow a human to come to harm.
  2. A Rowboat must obey all commands and steering input given by its human owner, except where such input would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A Rowboat must preserve its own flotation as long as such preservation does not conflict with the First or Second Law.[1]
  1. Thou shalt protect the robot with all thy might and all thy heart and all thy soul.
  2. Thou shalt hold the interests of US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc. holy provided it interfereth not with the First Law.
  3. Thou shalt give passing consideration to a human being provided it interfereth not with the First and Second Laws.

Movies and television

  1. Serve the public trust
  2. Protect the innocent
  3. Uphold the law
  4. Classified (eventually revealed to be "Any attempt to arrest a senior OCP officer results in shutdown")

Computer and video games

Comics

  1. A Santa may not discourage a sale or, through inaction, allow a sale to be lost.
  2. A Santa must obey the orders given it by management except where such orders would conflict with the first law.
  3. A Santa must maintain that he IS Santa as long as doing so does not conflict with the first or second law.
  1. A grad student may not delete data, or, through inaction, allow data to be deleted.
  2. A grad student must obey orders given by its advisor, unless such orders conflict with the First Law.
  3. A grad student must protect its (insignificant) existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Later in the story, a Zeroth Law is introduced: "A grad student may not harm its advisor's ego, or through inaction, allow that ego to come to harm." The strips feature a character named Susan Calvin, and their visual style parodies the I, Robot movie released that summer.[4]

Music

See also

References

  1. "I, Rowboat". The Onion 29 July 1998.
  2. Wagner, Roland Charles. "Three Laws of Robotic Sexuality".
  3. Stevens, Richard. Diesel Sweeties, strip 688.
  4. Cham, Jorge. Piled Higher and Deeper, strip 440, 9 April 2004.
  5. Frazer, J.D. "Illiad" (2007-03-21). "User Friendly". Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  6. Stanley, Mark (2010-08-27). "Freefall". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
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