I, Robot
by Isaac Asimov · first published 1950
30% recommend68% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short-story collection exploring how the Three Laws of Robotics play out in unexpected, sometimes unintended ways; idea-driven and unlike the movie. Good entry point to Asimov and to thinking about AI failure modes.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
I, Robot is a fixup novel of science fiction short stories or essays by American writer Isaac Asimov. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950 and were then compiled into a book for stand-alone publication by Gnome Press in 1950, in an initial edition of 5,000 copies. The stories are woven together by a framing narrative in which the fictional Dr. Susan Calvin tells each story to a reporter (who serves as the narrator) in the 21st century. Although the stories can be read separately, they share a theme
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…asteroid mining (mitigating resource crunches) and allows us to use space-based resources to alleviate problems on Earth (solar shades to reduce warming, etc). Asimov made a great point at the end of I, Robot, where he notes that the intractable problems of one age are rendered moot by the technology of the next. People feared that NYC would be uninhabitable by the year 1950 because there wouldn't be enough…
on “We lost the war. Welcome to the world of tomorrow (2006)” ↗…grabbed hold of the popular imagination in an era where Gothic horror was popular and scientific ideas were gaining traction. Asimov has a few rants against Frankenstein stories, and most of the original I Robot stories are an attempt at an antidote. Worth actually reading if you want something different. He had to work really hard to make something different, suggesting the reason so many authors keep repeating…
on “Why Westerners Fear Robots and the Japanese Do Not” ↗Personally I think it is Asimov's best work, with I Robot not far behind and Foundation in a distant third. Honestly not sure why people are so enamored of Foundation.
on “Scientists are searching for a mirror universe” ↗…book. Reading a book is a different action than looking at your phone or computer, and it has a different set of feelings, emotions, thought patterns. There's the smell of a printed book. I love Asimov. I, Robot is easy because it's a collection of very short stories, but it risks being seen as shallow. The End of Eternity is considered Asimov's best novel, and it's not too long. I hear good things about The…
on “Why read Dostoevsky? A programmer's perspective” ↗It's essential that you complete Isaac Asimov's I, Robot for a thorough understanding of how badly things can get out of control.
on “Ask Yc: What is a Good Book to Read Before Learning a Programming Language?” ↗I think maybe you've just seen the movie, and been misled into thinking you know what Asimov's robot stories were about. I, Robot the book, has no bad consequences (likewise almost all of the other Robot novels...excepting the bit with the mind-reading robot and the 0th law leading to interesting results for planet earth...but it…
on “Ask Yc: What is a Good Book to Read Before Learning a Programming Language?” ↗Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick I, Robot - Isaac Asimov The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick 2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke
on “Ask HN: What's your favorite sci-fi book?” ↗If you haven't read him, I suggest Isaac Asimov. He's the one of the greatest sci-fi writer. You can start with "I, Robot" or "Foundation" series.
on “Ask HN: Need suggestion for good sci-fi books and short stories to read” ↗Asimov's, I Robot.
on “Ask HN: Good Sci-Fi/Geek-Lit For School-Age Kids?” ↗D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths Star Trek, the original series I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. The first science fiction story I read, which lead to all the others. The Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner. That's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the…
on “Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life” ↗…guard against these catastrophic failures in the future, because the automation becomes more and more powerful, and you rely on it more and more." it's instructive to read the last story of Asimov's "I, Robot" called the "Evitable Conflict" in which the machines lead the Earth's progress.
on “Metro Crash May Exemplify Paradox of Human-Machine Interaction” ↗Asimov's "I, Robot" stories cover this territory well. The robots must follow three laws, which are simple enough on their surface, but in application prove tough to predict. The humans begin to see that the laws have…
on “"The legal profession is undergoing a massive structural shift"” ↗Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with "I, Robot" and "The Caves of Steel") is good, as is his Foundation series. Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels,…
on “Ask HN: What literature do you read?” ↗You'd probably enjoy Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead. Another good series would be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock stories, or perhaps Asimov's I, Robot anthology. A lot of Golden Age sci-fi fits that as well. In my experience, a character (especially a main protagonist) who is always rational/methodical is a sign of a weak writer: people are simply…
on “Ask HN: recommendations for rational/mindful stories” ↗For anyone interested in this idea, read "The Evitable Confict", the last short story in "I, robot", written by Asimov.
on “North Korea announces successful hydrogen bomb test” ↗