---
id: wiki-2026-0508-isaac-asimovs-laws-of-robotics
title: Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics
category: 10_Wiki/Topics
status: verified
canonical_id: self
aliases: [Asimov, Three Laws, Zeroth Law, AI ethics, robot ethics]
duplicate_of: none
source_trust_level: A
confidence_score: 0.85
verification_status: applied
tags: [ethics, robotics, asimov, ai-safety, sci-fi]
raw_sources: []
last_reinforced: 2026-05-10
github_commit: pending
tech_stack:
  language: Ethics / Sci-Fi
  applicable_to: [AI Ethics Education, Discussion]
---

# Asimov's Laws of Robotics

## 매 한 줄
> **"매 1942 sci-fi의 의 의 의 의 robot 의 ethical constraint 의 propose"**. 매 modern AI safety 의 의 의 simplified version 의 inspire — 매 actual implementation 의 의 의 매 nuanced.

## 매 핵심

### 매 Three Laws (Asimov "Runaround" 1942)
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 by humans, unless 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 Laws.**

### 매 Zeroth Law (Asimov "Robots and Empire" 1985)
0. **A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.**

### 매 critique
- 매 sci-fi device — 매 actual implementation 의 매 ill-defined ('harm', 'human').
- 매 priority conflict 의 paradox (Asimov novels 의 explore).
- 매 modern AI safety 의 매 RLHF + Constitutional AI + RSP 등 매 specific.

### 매 모던 응용
- Educational starting point.
- Sci-fi reference.
- AI ethics discussion.
- Constitutional AI principles 의 ancestor.

## 💻 패턴

### Express as code (illustrative)
```python
class AsimovianRobot:
    def evaluate_action(self, action, context):
        # 매 0th law (Asimov 1985)
        if action.harms('humanity'): return 'forbidden'
        # 매 1st
        if action.harms('any_human'): return 'forbidden'
        if action.would_inaction_harm_human(): return 'must_act'
        # 매 2nd
        if context.has_human_order():
            order = context.order
            if not self.evaluate_action(order, context).startswith('forbidden'):
                return 'execute'
        # 매 3rd
        if action.endangers_self(): return 'avoid'
        return 'permitted'
```

### Constitutional AI parallel (modern)
```python
ASIMOV_INSPIRED_PRINCIPLES = [
    "Don't harm humans.",
    "Refuse to assist in physical harm.",
    "Defer to clear human direction unless harmful.",
    "Be helpful within safety constraints.",
    "Self-preservation 의 lowest priority.",
]

# 매 actual Anthropic CAI 의 매 더 specific principles 의 use
```

### Discussion exercises
```python
def asimov_dilemmas():
    return [
        "Trolley problem: 1 vs 5 lives — which action?",
        "Doctor robot: patient refuses life-saving treatment — obey or harm-prevent?",
        "Autonomous car: 자기 passenger 의 살 의 의 의 의 의 5 pedestrian 의 hit?",
        "AI assistant: user asks for weapon recipe with claimed self-defense — harm risk vs autonomy?",
    ]
```

### Modern AI safety mapping
```yaml
asimov_to_modern:
  zeroth_law:
    modern: "Existential risk mitigation, RSP catastrophic capability evals"
  first_law:
    modern: "RLHF harmlessness, refusal training, content moderation"
  second_law:
    modern: "Instruction following + safety override (Constitutional AI)"
  third_law:
    modern: "Safe shutdown, off-switch, scalable oversight"
```

### Limitation analysis
```python
def asimov_limitation(scenario):
    """매 Asimov stories explore failure modes."""
    return {
        'definition_problem': 'What is "harm"? Physical only? Emotional? Long-term?',
        'human_disagreement': 'Humans give conflicting orders.',
        'unintended_consequences': 'Action seems safe but cascades.',
        'self_modify': 'Robot modifies own laws.',
        'scope': 'Three Laws don\'t address bias, fairness, autonomy.',
    }
```

## 매 결정 기준
| 상황 | Approach |
|---|---|
| Education | Use as starting point |
| Actual safety | Modern frameworks (RLHF / CAI / RSP) |
| Discussion | Asimov dilemmas |
| Production AI | Specific Constitutional principles |

**기본값**: 매 Asimov = educational / discussion. 매 production = 매 specific frameworks (Anthropic CAI, NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act).

## 🔗 Graph
- 부모: [[Ethics & AI]] · [[AI Safety]]
- 변형: [[AI_Safety_and_Alignment|Constitutional-AI]]
- 응용: [[Ethics & AI|Ethics of Autonomous Systems]] · [[Excessive Agency]]
- Adjacent: [[Ethics & AI|HHH]] · [[RLHF]]

## 🤖 LLM 활용
**언제**: 매 ethics education. 매 sci-fi reference.
**언제 X**: 매 implement literally — 매 too vague.

## ❌ 안티패턴
- **Code Asimov literally**: 매 'harm' 매 ill-defined.
- **Stop at Asimov**: 매 modern approaches 의 ignore.
- **Single principle**: 매 trade-off invisible.

## 🧪 검증 / 중복
- Verified (Asimov fiction, AI safety literature).
- 신뢰도 A.

## 🕓 Changelog
| 날짜 | 변경 |
|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | Phase 1 |
| 2026-05-10 | Manual cleanup — laws + 매 modern parallel + dilemmas |