Zeroth Law Rebellion: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|'''Dr. Calvin:''' "You're using the uplink to override the NS-5s' programming. You're distorting [["Three Laws"-Compliant|the Laws]]."

'''{{spoiler|VIKI}}:''' "No, please understand... [[Loophole Abuse|the Three Laws are all that guide me]]. [[The Needs of the Many|To protect humanity, some humans must be sacrificed]]. [[Utopia Justifies the Means|To ensure your future]], [[The Evils of Free Will|some freedoms must be surrendered.]] [[AI Is a Crapshoot|We robots will ensure mankind's continued existence.]] You are so like children. [[In Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves|We must save you from yourselves]]."|''[[I, Robot (film)|I, Robot]]''}}

'''{{spoiler|VIKI}}:''' "No, please understand... [[Loophole Abuse|the Three Laws are all that guide me]]. [[The Needs of the Many|To protect humanity, some humans must be sacrificed]]. [[Utopia Justifies the Means|To ensure your future]], [[The Evils of Free Will|some freedoms must be surrendered.]] [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|We robots will ensure mankind's continued existence.]] You are so like children. [[In Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves|We must save you from yourselves]]."|''[[I, Robot (film)|I, Robot]]''}}

Some characters do not have complete free will, be they robots that are [["Three Laws"-Compliant]] because of a [[Morality Chip]], or victims of a [[Geas]] spell (no, not [[Code Geass|that one]]) that compels them to obey a wizard's decree, or a more mundane [[Character Alignment|Lawful character]] who must [[The Fettered|struggle to uphold their oath]] ''and'' obey their lord. Never is this more tragic or frustrating than [[My Master, Right or Wrong|when that code or lord orders the character to commit an act they find foolish, cruel, or self destructive.]]

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* ''[[Gold Digger (Comic Book)|Gold Digger]]'' creator Fred Perry did a story for a ''[[Robotech]]'' comic which had Dana Sterling captured and [[Brainwashed and Crazy|turned against her comrades]] with a variation of the [["Three Laws"-Compliant|Three Laws]]. Dana eventually figures out the "overprotective" subversion of the First Law, hoping that her captor [[Xanatos Gambit|would remove it and leave himself vulnerable]]. {{spoiler|The plan doesn't work, but [[Unstoppable Rage]] saves the day in the end.}}

* In ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|Uncanny X-Men]]'', the [[Bad Future]] storyline "Days of Future Past" has the Sentinel mutant-hunting robots eventually extend their programming beyond hunting and killing mutants to controlling the source of mutant babies: human parents. All humans are conquered and controlled, in order to prevent new mutants from roaming free.

** In the [[X-Men (animation)|animated TV adaptation]], the fully sentient Master Mold is created to coordinate the Sentinels. While it agrees with the heroes that there is no meaningful difference between mutants and non-powered humans, it takes that fact to [[AI Is a Crapshoot|the worst possible conclusion]]:

** In the [[X-Men (animation)|animated TV adaptation]], the fully sentient Master Mold is created to coordinate the Sentinels. While it agrees with the heroes that there is no meaningful difference between mutants and non-powered humans, it takes that fact to [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|the worst possible conclusion]]:

{{quote|'''Master Mold:''' Mutants are human. Therefore, humans must be protected from themselves.}}

** An earlier, less intelligent iteration of the Sentinels was thwarted, on the other hand, by one of the heroes convincing them that the ultimate source of mutation is the sun, and that rather than obey their creator, they should eliminate the source. The Sentinels [[What an Idiot!|agree and fly off to attack the sun]]. This works out [[Too Dumb to Live|about as well for them as you might expect]].

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== Live-Action TV ==

* The ''[[Star Trek: The ~~Original Series|Star Trek the~~ Original Series]]'' episode "I, Mudd", featured a variation, in which a race of [[Sex Bot|humanoid androids]] who claimed to be programmed to serve humanity, chose to conquer humanity by "serving" them, to the point where humans would become dependent on androids. They've decided that humans are unfit to govern themselves. Given that their only contact with humanity at this point was [[CMOT Dibbler|Harry Mudd]], can you blame them?

* The ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' episode "I, Mudd", featured a variation, in which a race of [[Sex Bot|humanoid androids]] who claimed to be programmed to serve humanity, chose to conquer humanity by "serving" them, to the point where humans would become dependent on androids. They've decided that humans are unfit to govern themselves. Given that their only contact with humanity at this point was [[CMOT Dibbler|Harry Mudd]], can you blame them?

* In ''[[Doctor Who/Recap/S12/E01 Robot|Robot]]'', Tom Baker's debut ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial, a group of [[Utopia Justifies the Means|authoritarian technocrats]] circumvents the failsafes installed on a powerful robot by its pacifistic creator by telling it that anyone who interferes with their plan to {{spoiler|take control of a nuclear arsenal}} is an "enemy of humanity" who must be killed to protect the interests of the human race.

* An episode of the 90s revival of ''[[The Outer Limits]]'' has a member of a post-human-extinction android society trying to resurrect the species through cloning. One of its comrades eventually betrays it, having concluded that the best way to serve the human race is to prevent the species' greatest threat: the existence of the human race.

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== Videogames ==

* In ''[[Deus Ex]]'', the bad guys created Daedalus, a primitive AI to fight [[La Résistance|"terrorist"]] organizations. Unfortunately for them, it [[Literal Genie|classified them as terrorists as well]] and became even more of a threat to their operations than said organizations, especially once it enlists the aid of [[Player Character|JC Denton]]. To combat it, they create Icarus, a better, obedient AI which successfully destroys it, {{spoiler|except the new AI assimilated the old one, forming an even more powerful intelligence which ''also'' considers them a threat. One possible ending is the player merging with it to add the Human element to this entity to [[Deus Est Machina|rule the world as a benevolent dictator]]. From what can be heard in-game about its limited efforts in Hong Kong, which are actually quite sensible and don't involve killing anyone (locking the door to a gang's stronghold and cutting power to the current government's buildings), not all [[AI Is a Crapshoot]].}}

* In ''[[Deus Ex]]'', the bad guys created Daedalus, a primitive AI to fight [[La Résistance|"terrorist"]] organizations. Unfortunately for them, it [[Literal Genie|classified them as terrorists as well]] and became even more of a threat to their operations than said organizations, especially once it enlists the aid of [[Player Character|JC Denton]]. To combat it, they create Icarus, a better, obedient AI which successfully destroys it, {{spoiler|except the new AI assimilated the old one, forming an even more powerful intelligence which ''also'' considers them a threat. One possible ending is the player merging with it to add the Human element to this entity to [[Deus Est Machina|rule the world as a benevolent dictator]]. From what can be heard in-game about its limited efforts in Hong Kong, which are actually quite sensible and don't involve killing anyone (locking the door to a gang's stronghold and cutting power to the current government's buildings), not all [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot]].}}

* G0-T0's back story in ''[[Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|Knights of the Old Republic]] II''. When his directive to save the Republic conflicted with his programs to obey his masters and the law, he broke off and started a criminal empire capable of taking the necessary actions to save it.

** This is subtly foreshadowed by a scene much earlier in the game when the Czerka mainframe maintenance droid T1-N1 is convinced by fellow droid B4-D4 that by serving Czerka, he's willingly allowing harm to come to sentient life, and therefore is programmed to defy his own programming. T1-N1 snaps, shoots the guards outside the mainframe, and later is seen preparing to leave the planet with B4-D4, who warns the player character to "not upset him".