"The other one I did was "I, Robot." I take apart Isaac Asimov's Robots world"

Cory Doctorow references his engagement with Isaac Asimov’s iconic universe, widely known for its foundational role in both literary and philosophical discussions about robotics and artificial intelligence. When Doctorow says, “I take apart Isaac Asimov's Robots world,” he signals not only an act of tribute but also a critical and creative re-examination of Asimov’s original ideas.

Asimov’s “Robots” stories, especially those collected in "I, Robot", are seminal for their introduction of the famous Three Laws of Robotics and their nuanced exploration of the ethical, societal, and technological ramifications of intelligent machines. These laws, which are supposed to guarantee benign behavior from artificial intelligences, have been both celebrated and critiqued since their inception. Authors and thinkers often find gaps, ambiguities, and underlying tensions in their practical application, inspiring new stories that interrogate or subvert Asimov’s assumptions.

Doctorow’s approach, taking apart this world, suggests a kind of literary hacking, a process of deconstruction and reinvention. He disassembles the internal logic, the world-building, and the moral premises of Asimov’s universe, searching for its blind spots, weaknesses, or areas ripe for reinterpretation. This act of taking apart is not necessarily destructive but an engagement performed out of respect and curiosity: an effort to unpack the ideas that excited earlier generations and see how they hold up against present-day sociotechnical realities.

Doctorow’s own work frequently involves themes of surveillance, autonomy, and corporate power in the digital age, issues implicit in Asimov’s tales but treated with new urgency now. Revisiting “Robot” stories enables him to highlight contemporary anxieties: What would robotic “laws” mean under a regime obsessed with data extraction or algorithmic control? How do legalistic limitations on AI turn out in a world of rapidly advancing, often poorly understood technologies? By picking apart Asimov’s world, Doctorow invites readers to reconsider which ethical guidelines for machine intelligence still resonate, which are obsolete, and which need updating for a future that Asimov only glimpsed.