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View Full Version : I, Robot (rant, kinda long)



canadian_psyko
05-19-2004, 03:33 PM
Has anyone else seen the previews for this?
I don't know about anyone else, but I find it annoying.
One of the most basic thing's about Asimov's writing was the three laws.
To the best of my memory:
1) A robot must not harm a human, or through inaction, allow a human to come to harm
2) A robot must not allow itself to come to harm unless it conflicts with the first law.
3) A robot must obey all orders given by a human, unless it conflicts with the first or second law.
From the previews I've seen, they break at least the first law, and I'm betting that requires they break the 3nd too.
Now I know in the book, one of the stories has a robot which has a modified 1st law. It doesn't have the part about inaction. But that doesnt invole fighting or even conflict.
The whole part about machines attacking humans unprovoked is illogical anyway. There is no reason for machine-kind to suddenly decide that humans must be erradicated. I have the same complaint about T3.
The Matrix premise makes more sense: machines are content with peace, until we feel threatened by them, and attack, at which point it is perfectly logical to destroy human life.
The problem with the Matrix is the whole thing with using humans for energy. It would be much simpler to engineer a bio-generator of some type, than to map the human brain and body to the extent required to hack, if you will, the way the movie portrays.
Unless of course you believe the machines do it for the challenge, or because of a sentimental attatchment to their creators. Which I suppose is possible, with true sentience, should come some level or illogicality.

It's also annoying that anything Hollywood puts out seems to have to involve fighting, even in stories that were interesting enough all on their own.

Just something thats been bouncing around in my head for a while, any comments? Did I forget anything?

Cam

If I remember the book wrong, oops....

Muchbzy
05-19-2004, 03:46 PM
I can agree with most of the thoughts here. I haven't read the book in quite some time. One thought, if the robots have enough knowledge of self then they just might care enough to be upset about their place in society. Which might cause some unbalance.

atdsupra
05-19-2004, 04:12 PM
the Matrix is based mostly in religion, the story, "the ONE", name of city, ships, etc, evrything has to do with religion, even the sequence of events and technologically, its somehow more possible than a T3 story,

having Artificial intellingence means that it retrofits to itself giving it the abilities to change its own program result of an equation (as the architecht would say) but T3 is way different because T3 involves "TIME TRAVEL" . . . which is far from reality . . . could it be done at some point of human history ?

I, robot never seen the previews . . .

raven
05-19-2004, 04:23 PM
Not having read the Asimov books in many years, I remember they were investigating a murder in which a robot was suspect. But that's all I remember...

Is it really so unbelievable to have a robot violate one of the three laws? I mean, if it has intelligence, sentience, then what says it can't eventually go crazy? Or it could simply malfunction (Much like Windows XP when you try to do anything). Circuts could burn out, failsafes can... fail.


Matrix point: I think it violates one of the laws of Thermodynamics about converting heat to energy... don't remember it exactly though. Anyhow, why not save some time, eradicate the humans, then bore a hole streight down to the center of the earth "where it's still warm" and suck heat outta there, rather than outta humans?



As for the I, Robot: Find out what OS it's runnin. Then you can see if it can break down and "forget" a law. Or maybe not enough memory? ;)

canadian_psyko
05-19-2004, 08:20 PM
I haven't read enough of Asimov ot known how exactly self vs programming words, but I think the laws are hardcoded.
In the setting of of the I, Robot series, I'm not sure if the robots are even truely self aware, I know they have the inteligence to reason, and follow orders, but I don't think they had much more than that.
IIRC, they were never truely sentient, pretty much all the talk about the robotic thinking was great-than, less-than, if-then, etc. Programming loops

The robot suspect was cleared, it witnesses the murder, but the actual act was committed by a human. I forget how the robot was held.
I'm not sure if Asimov's robot's were ever given sentience.

Matrix: Why stay on earth? go to Mars or Venus, or even just the moon. Wouldn't be that hard, machines aren't anywhere near as fragile or suceptable to extremes in temperature, radiation, etc.
Also, why don't they get better at hardening their electronics against emp? It's possible to do.

dohc82
05-19-2004, 11:11 PM
"Kill all humans" - Bender

:lol:

As for Asimov...are you surprised that someone had an idea to make this a movie and the movie execs decided it needed more action. It is rare for a good story to make it to screen with out something being compromised. Very frustrating...I agree :roll:

canadian_psyko
05-20-2004, 12:24 AM
Suprised, no.
Annoyed, yes.
Stupid Hollywood

scarletlizard
05-20-2004, 11:40 AM
Gunfire, car crashes and tits are all I need :P
Robots, blah :roll: