Isaac Asimov, "Robbie" (1940), from I, Robot

Asimov's "Robbie" follows the story of a young girl, Gloria, and her robot, Robbie. Robbie acts as both a friend and caretaker of Gloria, as they partake in childhood games and storytelling. Although the family has had the robot for two years, Gloria's mother, Mrs. Weston, no longer trusts Robbie. In fact, she admits that she worries Robbie might malfuction or that Gloria does not interact enough with other neighborhood children. Eventually, Mrs. Weston convinces her husband to take back Robbie, which then prompts Gloria to go on a hunt to find him.

"Robbie" brings up thought-provoking questions about our potential relationship and interactions with robots. Should we trust robots with taking care of our children? How different would a robot be from a pet dog? On a more general scale, will robots have the capacity to feel and express emotions, including love, and, if so, how do we approach them? While the story's main theme centers on human and robot interaction, "Robbie" also holds the theme of communication with artificial intelligence, given that Robbie cannot speak. The theme of communication begs the question of whether we will need languages to communicate or whether body language would be enough.