I, Robot

A polished and gentlemanly attorney, Stephen Byerley campaigns for mayor of a US city but runs into accusations that he is a robot, a being forbidden to reside on Earth. He never seems to eat or sleep, and he always obeys the Three Laws of Robotics. Byerley settles the issue by punching a bystander, which violates the First Law against causing harm to humans and vindicates him. He wins the election and rises eventually to worldwide leadership, but Dr. Calvin realizes that a robot can slug another robot; thus, to her, the issue of his humanity remains unsettled. She admires robots, though, secretly approves of the idea that one might do well in high office and supports Byerley. He represents the book’s argument that robots, as described by the author, would make worthwhile leaders.

Gregory Powell and Mike Donovan are technicians who visit planets and space stations to assemble and install robots that manage mining facilities, energy-transfer systems, and the like. Theirs are among the least desirable assignments; the story implies that they are not the smartest or best examples of their profession. They often bicker and sometimes throw objects at each other. Powell, the leader, also is the smarter of the two, but together they manage to solve the unusual problems with robots that crop up during their work. They are meant to be comic figures who start out in trouble but end up saving the day.

Mathematician and smooth-talking administrator Dr. Peter Bogert works at US Robots and annoys Dr. Calvin with his driving ambition. Bogert is extremely smart at math and solves important problems in the development of robotics, but, on the most important issues of robot behavior, he’s usually bested by Dr. Calvin, who sees into such problems more deeply. Dr. Bogert serves as a foil to Dr. Calvin, the guy who disagrees with the hero and loses the argument.

Dr. Alfred Lanning runs US Robots; elderly, crusty, and impatient, he gets into tiffs with his corporate officers but always manages to oversee a smart solution to the firm’s problems. Though a minor character, Dr. Lanning attends most of the important meetings where Dr. Calvin and Dr. Bogert often clash, and his input proves essential.

Eight-year-old Gloria Watson loves her robotic nursemaid Robbie, and, when her parents send Robbie away, she makes so determined an effort to get him back that they relent. Gloria is a case study in how people can benefit from the kindly, uniformly safe behavior of robots but chafe against unreasoning prejudice against those machines.

An ambitious politician, Francis Quinn hits on the idea that his opponent for mayor of a US city, Stephen Byerley, is a robot, a creature forbidden to hold office, much less live on Earth. He threatens US Robots with a public relations disaster unless they side with him and prove that Byerley is a robot, but Dr. Calvin counters his every move. In the end, Byerley is vindicated, and Quinn loses the race. Quinn represents the forces within humanity that fight against the idea of robots taking positions of authority.

Most chapters feature a main robot whose foibles point up the trials and pitfalls that humans and robots face under the regime of the Three Laws of Robotics. Most of these robots get a nickname based on their production initials—Dave is a DV-5 mining robot, for example.

Robbie, the mute nursemaid robot in Chapter 1, treats kindly his charge, little Gloria Watson, but suffers from the suspicion and bias of Gloria’s mother. His situation highlights the prejudice that leads to the banning of robots from Earth. Speedy, in Chapter 2, is an expensive but excellent SP-13 robot whose heightened concern about protecting his expensive self clashes with his need to obey orders, and his mind gets drunk on the dilemma.

Chapter 3’s Cutie develops his own religious philosophy and rejects human control, but the god he worships amounts to the instructions given him by humans, so his work is exemplary. In Chapter 4, DV-5 robot Dave struggles so much with the dangers of his job managing and protecting a half-dozen asteroid mining robots that, unconsciously, he keeps ordering them to march through tunnels rather than mine ore.

Chapter 5’s RB-34, Herbie, develops the ability to read minds and realizes he must lie to everyone, telling them what they want to hear so that he does not hurt their feelings. Herbie accidentally brings out Dr. Calvin’s bitterness about her social life when he misleads her concerning her chances with factory line manager Milton Ashe. Angrily, Dr. Calvin encourages Herbie’s mental breakdown over his struggle with the moral conundrum of hurting people; this leads to his death. Herbie’s situation shows how robots laboring under the Three Laws can break down when obedience forces on them unsolvable dilemmas.

In Chapter 6, NS-2 robot Nestor, told to get lost by an irate scientist, does just that, and because he is specially designed with a relaxed First Law, he is willing to kill to fulfill his mission. Nestor serves as a minor antagonist who puts Dr. Calvin into peril. Chapter 7 stars The Brain, a stationary calculating machine that figures out how to get humans to travel safely in faster-than-light spaceships even though it kills them. Chapters 8 and 9 feature Stephen Byerley, a very good man who also probably is a very good robot.

Each of these characters struggles with problems in obeying the Three Laws: many fail, and some die. Their stories demonstrate the complexities of the Laws, which do not always guarantee perfect behavior from robots.