The Three Laws of Robotics

In memoriam Isaac Asimov (2 January 1920 – 6 April 1992)

Isaac Asimov introduced the Three Laws of Robotics in his 1942 short story "Runaround". The Three Laws are:

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 the orders given 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.

Later Asimov also added a fourth, or zeroth, law, to precede the others:

0. A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.