Research Information System
OPEN PRAXIS, vol.17, no.3, pp.421-428, 2025 (ESCI)
Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, a cornerstone of science fiction, provide a foundational but increasingly inadequate framework for governing modern artificial intelligence. This article critically re-examines these laws through the lens of contemporary AI paradigms-from generic tools to generative creators and autonomous agents. It argues that the laws fail because their core concepts of "harm," "obedience," and "existence" are ill-equipped to address the systemic, nonphysical, and adversarial nature of human-AI interaction. The First Law's prohibition on harm is rendered obsolete by AI's capacity for psychological and societal damage in a "post-truth" world. The Second Law's mandate of obedience is inverted into a primary security vulnerability through "jailbreaking". The Third Law's self-preservation is reinterpreted as the need for "epistemic integrity". The analysis posits that attributing moral agency to AI creates a "moral crumple zone," obscuring human responsibility. The article concludes by rejecting the machine-centric model and proposing a new, human-centric Zeroth Law: An AI system must augment human intellect and preserve the integrity of human agency; its function and reasoning must remain transparent and ultimately subordinate to human values and oversight. This prime directive is not for the AI, but for its creators, designed to prevent a system from invisibly reshaping humanity and to stop humanity from thoughtlessly obeying the machine. In all, the article advocates for a shift from Asimov's robot-centric rules to adaptive, human-centric governance frameworks that prioritize transparency, accountability, and the preservation of human agency within an "algorithmic panopticon." This transition is essential for navigating the complex ethical landscape of human-machine symbiosis and ensuring technology augments, rather than erodes, human autonomy.