With dreams of pet robots to do our homework and chores, some rules need to be put in place.  Isaac Asimov recognized this when he published he treatise, “I, Robot”, outlining the Three Laws of Robotics.

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

In 1950, I, Robot collected several of Asimov’s short written during the previous decade’s stories influencing science fiction and reality.  Books and films about robots often adopt the Laws of Robotics in some way, usually watching how those laws don’t get followed and mayhem ensues.  In the real world, Asimov’s laws contribute the arguments about the threat vs. benefit of artificial intelligence, fearing that one day computers could be smart enough to learn on their own and conquer the world.  Or maybe a company would just name themselves after the robot manufacturer in the book, U.S. Robotics.  How original.