Asimov's Laws of Robotics Applied to Software

Abstract

In 1940, science fiction writer Isaac Asi- mov formulated the now-famous Three Laws of Robotics, which constrain robots to serve their human masters. These laws focused on the physical well-being of robots and humans. But they can also be applied to software in a more abstract manner, by focusing on human presence in cyberspace. In this vein, I suggest the following laws of software. While they are largely a restatement of known principles, uniting them in this way casts a new light on the contract between humanity and technology.