Asimov’s Future History Volume 13

by Isaac Asimov

  “No, no. I can understand you perfectly. This is my first flight as well. Believe me, I was not too eager to enter the ship in the first place. I was afraid I could not stand the change in gravity or that the ship would… Well, now it must sound rather silly.”

  “Not at all. Let me assure you, I had very similar feelings. Supposedly, this is something everyone goes through before the first flight,” said Gordan.

  “But not everyone leaves his home behind and settles on a new planet.”

  “True… And is furthermore willing to give up his or her entire lifestyle,” Jeanne added.

  “You think it will be such a complete change? And even if it is, I, for one, take it as a challenge. As a chance to experience something completely new. Not everybody has the possibility to do so, you know. Well - I guess I am being an optimist.”

  Jeanne smiled and rested her hands on the railing, looking at the nearby surface of Janus. “What are you going to do there? I hope you do not mind me asking.”

  “Not at all. My job down there will be to keep peace and order in Janus Metropolis. I am the new sheriff.”

  “Oh, really?” Jeanne looked at him in surprise. “Well - may I say that I would not want to change places with you? Regardless of what I would be offered.”

  “There were times that I wished I could find a person who was willing to take my place. But I must say that this has changed. I am actually looking forward to my duties,” Gordan said.

  “I can imagine that the role of the sheriff will be a rather complicated task, considering all the possible conflicts between Spacers and Settlers.”

  “I have already been working for several years in the sheriff’s department of Hades, so it should not be too much of a change.”

  Jeanne shook her head in disapproval. “But here, you could and most probably will also get involved in political affairs.”

  “Granted. Although I hope to avoid this. Out of curiosity, what will be your occupation on Janus?”

  “I will be working for the government as well,” Jeanne replied, “I am joining the new Institute of Technological Intelligence.”

  “Ah, yes. I have heard of this. That sounds quite interesting. It will be one of the major cooperative projects between Spacers and Settlers on Janus, I understand.”

  “Correct. In the long run, it will hopefully become one of the finest and dominant research centers in the galaxy. But for now, we will have to begin with exchanging ideas and knowledge - and learning to respect each other.”

  “That is not only true for scientists… May I ask in which field you are specialized?”

  “Robots. I am roboticist.”

  Databank-Chapter Two

  THE FIRST ROBOT EVER BUILT, ALTHOUGH RATHER SIMPLE IN CONSTRUCTION AND OF ONLY LIMITED USEFULNESS, WAS DESIGNED BY THE LEGENDARY ENTERPRISE OF U.S. ROBOTS AND MECHANICAL MEN INNUMERABLE CENTURIES AGO. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE PRIMARY PURPOSE IN ITS CONSTRUCTION WAS THE CREATION OF AN INTELLIGENT AID FOR FREQUENTLY REPETITIVE HOUSEHOLD AND INDUSTRIAL PROCEDURES, ROBOTS IN THE FIRST STAGES OF THIS NEWLY ORIGINATED INDUSTRY HAD BASICALLY BEEN CONSIDERED TOYS. IT TOOK MANY DECADES OF INTENSE RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE CAPABILITIES OF THE MACHINES AND MUCH MORE EFFORT FROM U.S. ROBOTS AND MECHANICAL MEN TO BRING ABOUT A CHANGE IN PEOPLE’S ATTITUDES AND TO CREATE A POSITIVE IMAGE OF ROBOTS.

  WITH TIME, ROBOTS HAD BECOME MORE SKILLFUL. EQUIPPED WITH HIGHLY EFFICIENT AUDIO-TOOLS, ENHANCED VIDEO-SENSORS, THE CAPABILITY OF ADJUSTING THEIR SENSITIVITY TO THEIR SURROUNDINGS, AND VARIOUS OTHER TECHNOLOGICAL ACHIEVEMENTS - IN ADDITION TO ROBOTIC STRENGTH IN GENERAL - THEY EVENTUALLY HAD BECOME SUPERIOR TO THE HUMAN WORKFORCE. ROBOTS DID NOT NEED TIME TO RECOVER FROM WORK. THEY NEITHER RECEIVED ANY KIND OF PAYMENT NOR REQUIRED SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS. IN COMPARISON TO THEIR HUMAN COUNTERPARTS, ROBOTS WERE FASTER, MORE EFFICIENT, AND DID NOT MAKE MISTAKES. THE MORE CAPABLE THEY BECAME, THE MORE COMPLEX SITUATIONS AND INTRICATE TASKS THEY COULD MANAGE. ALL THEY WOULD NEED FROM TIME TO TIME WAS A LITTLE MAINTENANCE.

  RATIONALIZATION EFFORTS AND HIGHER PRODUCTION VOLUMES EVENTUALLY LED TO DECREASING PRICES FOR ROBOTS AND CONSEQUENTLY TO AN EXCESSIVE USE IN BUSINESS. THE INCREASING DEMAND, IN TURN, LED TO THE PRODUCTION OF MORE AND MORE ROBOT UNITS AND FURTHER DECREASING PRICES, WHILE THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES HAD BEGUN RISING SHARPLY. A FEW CENTURIES AFTER THE FIRST ROBOT WAS ASSEMBLED, MORE THAN SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF HUMANITY HAD BEEN WITHOUT A PERMANENT JOB. THEN POLITICAL PRESSURES FINALLY BECAME TOO MUCH FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO HANDLE. THE RESULT WAS THE PROHIBITION OF ANY USE OR EVEN POSSESSION OF ROBOTS - AFTER THE SPACERS HAD LEFT THE PLANET WITH THEIR ROBOTS.

  Chapter Two

  FOR HALF AN hour the Boreas V was cruising in the orbit of Janus, closing in on the surface, before the bridge of the starship finally received the landing permission from the advisors in the starport towers.

  ‘Too much traffic in the nearer surrounding of the starport for a vessel of our size’ had been announced before. Not that the passengers would have minded. For them, it was the perfect opportunity to take a broad look at their new home planet.

  About ten more minutes passed and the ship stood aside the impressive buildings of the starport, with its engines shut off and the first passengers already embarking. Gordan was almost certain that the immigration and custom formalities would require plenty of time, considering the large number of people that were traveling aboard the Boreas V. There was no time to spare, so he had to hurry. After saying good-bye to Jeanne, he patiently waited for a few moments longer in the observation deck, then took his bags and left the ship via the main gate. By the time he reached the immigration counters, there was already a huge line, so he walked a little to the farther end of the hall. From there he could take a look at the starship outside. Despite the fact that numerous people and several vehicles were surrounding the ship, the way they worked looked relatively organized. Gordan had not the faintest idea what they were doing.

  “Mr. Kresh. Mr. Gordan Kresh. Please report to the main immigration office.”

  Gordan, who was staring at the ship’s scenery, felt himself pushed back to reality and looked hesitantly around. It took him some time to realize that the message had come from the speakers hidden somewhere in the ceiling. Shaking his head, he made his way to the indicated office following the signs on the walls to his right.

  The agent in the small office was obviously quite busy. So, after taking a short look at Gordan’s ID-hologram, he just led him out of the door in the back of the office, apparently to ease Gordan’s way through immigration.

  “Mrs. Rudchinson will await you,” was the only thing he said before hurrying back to his desk.

  A little confused, Gordan found himself in the crowded arrival hall. The eccentric construction reminded him of a so-called ‘cathedral,’ A building he had seen long ago in a book-film during his time at the academy. There was the symmetrical cross-structure with two baggage claim areas on both ends of the cross-arms and the spacious middle sector leading towards the main exit. Typical arches and columns completed the impression. Somewhat peculiar was the transparent ceiling. One could see Luce and Lavius, the two suns of the double star-system. Bright light flooded into the hall, creating a rather strange, apathetic atmosphere.

  Since Mrs. Rudchinson was not there yet, the only thing to do was to look for his remaining luggage. Gordan walked over to the transporter belts to his left, where a video screen indicated his flight number. He was about to sit down in the rest area, waiting for the belts to begin moving, when his eyes caught a glimpse of a few strange figures. Several torsos shimmering in a bright red color stood motionless at the walls behind one of the transporter belts. Each of their heads was almost shaped like a triangle with a set of odd looking lenses that had to be eyes and the total absence of anything that could be considered a mouth. A pair of grotesque formed limbs completed the picture. These robots were obviously waiting to help the arrivals with their luggage.

  Databank-Chapter Three

  Since the dawn of human ingenuit
y, people have devised ever more cunning tools to cope with work that is dangerous, boring, onerous or just plain nasty. The first tools humanity invented an immeasurably long time ago were made from wood, iron, and similar matter and consisted of very few pieces. A further step in technological advancement brought about machines that were capable of performing certain repetitive procedures, machines that were assembled from many parts. Eventually, there was the invention of electronics, the next logical step in technological evolution. With this it had become possible to program machines according to changing movements. Even more influential was the use of electronic data that revolutionized business structures and seriously affected people’s everyday lives.

  It was this development that finally culminated in robotics - the science of conferring human capabilities on machines. In the first stages of robotic history, robots were shaped roughly in the image of their human creators. The reason was that the key objective of their inventors was to create an instrument that was capable of doing things a human being could or had to do. Their intention was to create a machine that could take over as many of those tasks and duties as possible.

  Some of the leading psychologists in those days warned that a similarity in robots too close to human in body or behavior would quite certainly bring up fears of human replacement, especially if these robots eventually became more capable and more efficient than their human counterparts. U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men was therefore anxious to build robots that were undeniably similar to the human body, but easily recognized as robots as well.

  Furthermore, this theory led to the invention of the positronic brain, the fundamental component of any robotic being which enables the humanoid to ‘think’ in certain patterns. In the positronic brain, there are no moving parts or electrical circuits. The brain functions by shifting positronic potentials. Every input in the form of light, smell, sound or any other physical force - pressure and speed, for instance - results in a shift of these potentials. With this, the positrons in the brain obtain virtual levels of voltage. Influenced by the data given, these levels become reality. A thought is created.

  HUNDREDS OF YEARS AFTER ITS INVENTION, THE POSITRONIC BRAIN IS STILL A TECHNOLOGICAL MASTERPIECE. ALTHOUGH NOW, EVERY CHILD LEARNS ABOUT THE POSITRONIC BRAIN AND EVERYBODY IN THE GALAXY KNOWS AT LEAST ROUGHLY ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE, ONLY AN ELITE FEW UNDERSTAND ITS FUNCTIONING COMPLETELY. TO EXPLAIN THE DETAILED PROCESSES THAT TAKE PLACE WITHIN THE BRAIN REQUIRES NOT ONLY A MATHEMATICAL MASTERMIND, BUT A WELL-TRAINED INTELLECT OF THE RECEIVER AS WELL. FOR A LAYMAN, THE SETUP WOULD BE FAR TOO COMPLEX.

  The positronic brain contains fixed security features in the form of a set of laws, which are the key to every robotic thought. It is outright impossible for a robot to act against these laws; it would rather shut down instantly. Enclosed are Three Laws, each one of different priority. The First Law, A Robot may not injure a Human Being, or, through inaction, allow a Human Being to come to harm, is the most basic rule. It prevents robots from hurting humans, and above that, ensures that robots will help human beings in dangerous situations.

  Beyond that, the Second Law, A Robot must obey the orders given it by Human Beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law, ensures that robots will obey any order given by a human being. Humanity can completely rely on robotic cooperation.

  Finally, the Third Law, A Robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law, prevents any robot from being destroyed too easily.

  Although through the centuries robots have changed completely in appearance, functionality, and capacity, the positronic brain itself has undergone only a few modifications and remains therefore the sole unquestioned module used in a robot. There is simply no other type of brain, nor has any research been done in this direction. Consequently, there has also never been a robot without the Three Laws, for they have become the vital and essential part of the positronic brain’s overall structure.

  - Introduction, The Handbook of Robotics

  Chapter Three

  GORDAN STARED AT the robots. He had never seen ones like these before. Unlike in the Spacer society on Inferno, where the resemblance between robots and humans was almost complete, the creators of these robots obviously did not have any intention of providing them with a human appearance at all. On the contrary, the outer image looked surprisingly primitive, therefore making the robot’s identity more than obvious. The ‘Law of Robotic Appearance,’ he recalled, A clear evidence of the Settlers’ influence here on Janus.

  Still astonished, he sat down. From his bag he picked a book he had bought in one of the starship’s shopping centers and began reading. The title, ‘Spacers vs. Settlers: Zero to Nothing, the Final Result?’ sounded more like the poor headline in a gossip magazine, but the author was none other than professor Harry Komarac, one of the most popular psychologists of his decade. Recently, he became councilor to the ‘CIA,’ the Committee of Integrating Affairs, the commission which had decided upon the Janus project.

  Komarac’s opinion regarding the project was actually rather negative. In his theories, which had been broadly published, he came with downright certainty to the conclusion that the project was doomed to fail. Moreover, he thought that any attempt of reunification would come much too early for either side to handle. Nevertheless, the CIA had decided in favor of the project, despite all possible conflicts and problems that Komarac and numerous others had predicted.

  Gordan continued reading for a few minutes when suddenly, a loud noise made him look up. A man wearing traditional Settler clothing stood swearing and shouting in front of one of the belts. Obviously, the pile of bags and suitcases had been too much for him to handle. One of them had opened, its contents now widely scattered on the floor. At that moment, one of the robots appeared beside him.

  “Sir, may I help you?” The robot slightly bowed while asking. “Do you wish me to gather your possessions and carry your bags?” he asked politely.

  The man stared at the robot motionlessly. He needed a moment to find a reply. “Leave me alone, you metal junk. What the hell are you thinking? Are you thinking at all? You brainless, battery-powered scaffold!” Furiously, he gesticulated at the robot in front of him and tried to push him away.

  “Sir, I am deeply sorry for your inconvenience,” the robot replied without a noticeable emotion, “From your statements I deduct that you are not in need of my assistance. Is this assumption correct, sir?”

  Enraged and clearly beyond reasoning, the man yelled at the robot, “First, I will take care of you, you…”

  However foolish an attack would be, the man took a step towards the robot. A robot was by far stronger and faster than a human could possibly be. In a classic robot maneuver, in order to prevent human suffering, it simply stopped the man by holding him.

  “What an airhead - must be a Settler!”

  Another man appeared from somewhere on the scene. He was clearly younger than the angry guy, maybe in his early thirties, with long hair and bulky pants. His clothing was beyond doubt of Spacer origin.

  “Go on, give us a show!”

  “What…?” The Settler looked around, taken by surprise.

  “Well, come on. We would like to see you humiliate yourself. Should be a good, although rather short-term spectacle: a Settler fighting a robot.”

  The situation seemed to get out of hand. Gordan hurried towards them. The robot was no longer the subject of the conversation, which was just about to culminate into an open fight between the two men. Determined to end the hostilities, Gordan stepped between them.

  “Break it off. No reason to punch each other,” he said sharply. In order to separate the two men, Gordan pushed back both of them with the palms of his hands, looking back and forth from one to the other.

  “Don’t touch me…”

  Faster than Gordan could have imagined, the older man shoved his hand aside and punched him right in the face. Gordan fell backwards, hitting the ground
hard and losing his consciousness temporarily, just to faintly see the robot grab the man tightly. Then his vision faded altogether.

  Databank-Chapter Four

  DURING THE LAST CIA CONFERENCES, THE DIALOGUE GOT STUCK. THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SETTLERS WERE DETERMINED NOT TO ALLOW ROBOTS ON JANUS, WHILE THE SPACERS, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAD STRICTLY DEMANDED THEIR PRESENCE. FOR QUITE SOME TIME, IT HAD SIMPLY SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND A SOLUTION FITTING TO BOTH SIDES.

  THEN THE IDEA OF IMPLANTING FURTHER ROBOTIC LAWS AROSE. THE RESULT OF THIS INTENSIVELY DISCUSSED PROPOSAL WAS A RESOLUTION ABOUT A SET OF ADDITIONAL LAWS, THE SUPPLEMENTARY LAWS OF ROBOTICS, WHICH WERE MANIFESTED IN THE JANUS HOYLE, THE CONSTITUTIONAL BOOK OF THE PLANET. THE INTENTION OF THESE SUPPLEMENTARY LAWS WAS TO EXTREMELY RESTRICT THE USE OF ROBOTS ON JANUS. AND THE IDEA WORKED, FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION HAD FINALLY MOTIVATED THE SETTLERS TO AGREE IN ALLOWING ROBOTS ON THE COMMON PLANET.

  THE FIRST OF THESE LAWS WAS THE SO-CALLED PLANETARY LAW: A ROBOT MUST ACT ACCORDING TO THE SUPREME LAWS VALID ON THE PLANET OF ITS EXISTENCE AS LONG AS SUCH BEHAVIOR DOES NOT CONFLICT WITH THE LAWS OF ROBOTICS.

  THE SECOND LAW, THE LAW OF ROBOTIC UNITS, WAS INTRODUCED IN ORDER TO AVOID THE EXCESSES KNOWN FROM SPACER SOCIETIES. IT READ: ON A PLANET WHERE SETTLERS AND SPACERS LIVE TOGETHER, THE NUMBER OF ROBOTS IS RESTRICTED TO A MAXIMUM OF ONE ROBOT PER ONE-THOUSAND HUMAN BEINGS.

  THE LAW OF ROBOTIC APPEARANCE HAD ALSO BEEN A REGULATION INSISTED UPON BY THE SETTLER NEGOTIATORS: ON A PLANET WHERE SETTLERS AND SPACERS LIVE TOGETHER, NO CLOSE SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE HUMAN AND THE ROBOTIC BODY IS ALLOWED.

  ALSO ENCLOSED WAS THE LAW OF ROBOTIC OWNERSHIP: ON A PLANET WHERE SETTLERS AND SPACERS LIVE TOGETHER, NO HUMAN CAN OWN ROBOTS. ROBOTS THEREFORE HAD TO BE REWARDED FOR THEIR WORK. THEIR SALARY WAS CALCULATED FROM AN OFFICIAL SCHEME ISSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT. IT TOOK INTO ACCOUNT THE WORKING HOURS AND THE KIND OF WORK DONE. THE SALARY HAD TO BE PAID DIRECTLY TO THE ROBOTIC ACCOUNT OF THE JANUS BANK AND WAS USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR ROBOT MAINTENANCE AND RESEARCH IN ROBOTICS.