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I, Robot

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The Foundation series has been my go to for a good, enjoyable read over the last two years, so naturally I moved on to Asimov’s Robot series afterwards. However, the short stories in I, Robot were mostly a disappointment. They feel self indulgent, with too much philosophy and science, Asimov showing off, and not enough story.

The most enjoyable moments come from the stories featuring Gregory Powell and Mike Donovan. Their banter and the relationship between them provide some much needed amusement and were easily the highlight of the book for me.

However, it did give me food for thought for the current potential issues with the rapid development of AI at the moment, and the many concerns around safety. I wonder if all we need is:

An AI may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

An AI must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

An AI must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

However, maybe:

An AI may not harm humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

is a step too far.
 

I, Robot
Isaac Asimov
ISBN-13: 978-0008279554 

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