Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Our Fantastic Favorites: I, Robot


I, Robot is a collection of short stories framed by the reminiscent interview of Susan Calvin, a U.S. Robots long-time employee. What is most interesting is the progression of the short stories, which begin with Robbie, a robot that is gentle and simple, a child's only companion and protector; the stories then progress, with each robotic innovation leading to ever-increasing problems, ultimately raising questions of humanity's own existence as well as its methods of self-preservation. My interest in this collection resides in the relation of humanity to its own creation, and these stories not only display the problems that increases in technology, specifically in artificial intelligence can lead to, but also the possibilities that could result from an expansion in technology that goes too far. It's definitely worth reading because it addresses an issue that can be applied to our rapidly shifting technological innovations.