Editing Three Laws of Robotics (section)

==Use in fiction==
The Three Laws form an organizing principle and unifying theme for Asimov's [[robot]]-based fiction, appearing in his [[Robot series (Asimov)|''Robot'' series]], the stories linked to it, and in his (initially [[pseudonym]]ous) [[Lucky Starr series]] of [[young adult literature|young-adult fiction]]. The Laws are incorporated into almost all of the [[positronic brain|positronic robots]] appearing in his fiction, and cannot be bypassed, being intended as a safety feature. A number of Asimov's robot-focused stories involve robots behaving in unusual and counter-intuitive ways as an unintended consequence of how the robot applies the Three Laws to the situation in which it finds itself. Other authors working in Asimov's fictional universe have adopted them and references, often [[parody|parodic]], appear throughout science fiction as well as in other genres.

The original laws have been altered and elaborated on by Asimov and other authors. Asimov himself made slight modifications to the first three in subsequent works to further develop how robots would interact with humans and each other. In later fiction where robots had taken responsibility for government of whole planets and human civilizations, Asimov also added a fourth, or zeroth law, to precede the others.

The Three Laws, and the Zeroth, have pervaded science fiction and are referred to in multiple books, films, and other media. They have also influenced thought on the [[ethics of artificial intelligence]].