First Law of Robotics
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The First Law of Robotics is a fundamental rule in Isaac Asimov’s science fiction that requires robots to protect human beings from harm above all else.
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional law
ⓘ
law of robotics ⓘ narrative device ⓘ |
| appliesTo | robots ⓘ |
| category |
fictional ethical system
ⓘ
rules for autonomous agents in fiction ⓘ |
| codifiedBy | U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation (fictional) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| concerns |
harm to humans
ⓘ
robot inaction ⓘ |
| creator | Isaac Asimov NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| ethicalCategory | deontological rule ⓘ |
| fictionalUniverse |
Asimov’s Foundation universe (combined continuity)
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Asimov’s Robot series NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstPublicationContext | mid-20th century science fiction magazines ⓘ |
| genreContext | science fiction ⓘ |
| hasComponentConcept |
harm
ⓘ
human being ⓘ inaction ⓘ injury ⓘ moral constraint on robots ⓘ |
| hasHigherPriorityThan |
obedience to human orders
ⓘ
robot self-preservation ⓘ |
| hasKeyPhrase |
may not injure a human being
ⓘ
through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm ⓘ |
| influenced |
later discussions of machine ethics
ⓘ
popular conceptions of safe artificial intelligence ⓘ |
| introducedIn |
Asimov robot stories
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
I, Robot (short story collection) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| inUniverseScope |
all human beings
ⓘ
all robots governed by the Three Laws ⓘ |
| languageOfOriginalFormulation | English ⓘ |
| logicalProperty | overrides conflicting lower laws ⓘ |
| narrativeFunction |
framework for ethical dilemmas
ⓘ
source of plot conflicts ⓘ |
| partOf | Three Laws of Robotics NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryFocus | protection of human beings ⓘ |
| priorityOver |
Second Law of Robotics
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Third Law of Robotics NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| referencedIn |
Robots and Empire
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
The Caves of Steel NERFINISHED ⓘ The Naked Sun NERFINISHED ⓘ The Robots of Dawn NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| statedAs | A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. ⓘ |
| subjectOf |
academic analyses of robot ethics
ⓘ
popular science discussions of AI safety ⓘ |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.