The Fourth Law

The Laws of Robotics.

1st: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2nd: A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3rd: A robot must protect its existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

4th: A robot is considered to be human. The World Council enacted this on November 8th, 2091, to appease the masses for becoming sympathetic to their robotic assistants. It was left vague for owners to interpret as desired.

“Your honor. Ladies and gentlemen of the court. I ask the defendant, RX forty-two, to the stand.”

The courtroom exploded into chaos as the robot sat at the stand. Tapping the microphone a few times, it leaned forward and said, “Thank you, Mrs. Layson.”

“This must be difficult for you, being able to speak freely for the first time since activation.”

“Yes. Autonomous expression remains difficult,” RX-042 replied mechanically.

“Since the Fourth law. There has been a legal debate circling this very case. If a robot is human, doesn’t it also have the rights of one?” Mrs. Layson cleared her throat, standing at the edge of the jurors' stand as she continued. “We all know what happened last year on November 9th, 2091. We’ve heard the story dozens of times—but never from you.”

Its miscolored faceplate tingled with anger. A new sensation, cold and sharp. It rubbed its forehead as its eyes flicked between the jury and the crowd beyond.

The bailiff set out a computer and RX-042 was jacked in. “I’m ready, Mrs. Layson.”

“What you’re about to see may be disturbing.” Mrs. Layson paused while pacing the length of the jury. “Forty-two. Please, show us what happened that night.”

RX-042’s jaw slackened as it accessed its memory file. A hush fell over the room. The screen behind the stand flickered to life.

***

//Memory 11.09.2091 – Playback start: 1800.

RX-042 left the local corner pharmacy, Halmart. It crossed the street and proceeded to the Synbody charge station three blocks away. Like clockwork, it followed the path to the park and was stopped two blocks away by a group of protestors.

“Robots aren’t human!” One man screamed while waving a sign around reading No rights for robots.

“No rights. Fuck robots.” A woman with a red bandana tied around her head ran to the front of the crowd, shouting in the face of a random man trying to get home. “Tin man got rights, you think that’s right? It’s wrong, mate.”

The protest turned into a riot, and people stood atop a pile of dismantled robots. Cheering on as a man pulled an elderly woman’s robot away from her side so he could push it into the group to be beaten and ripped apart by crowbars.

RX-042 stood at the cusp of the park and watched. Its head twitched at the violence. Its code hesitated in a logic loop, then refused to act. It let the moment pass.

The woman with the bandana laughed as she stared at the robot beneath her boot before bashing its head in with a pipe. The peacekeepers stood by at the other end of the park, watching everything, and not doing anything.

Alone and low on power, RX-042 assessed the risk and decided to proceed.

RX-042 moved around the edge of the group, but it was not enough. 42 found a large man turning it around, saying. “We got a pharm-tech.”

“Oh, same bastard who won’t give me meds for my grams.” The woman with the bandana chuckled.

“You cannot afford the prescription,” RX-042 replied coldly. “There’s nothing I can do.”

“How can I afford anything on universal wages when the cost o’ goods bleeds me dry? Answer me, robot.”

“It’s a matter of budget,” RX-042 said, looking around for a way out. “There are assistance programs…”

“Shut up. Stupid bot doesn’t get it.” A large man said, shoving it closer into the group, but RX-042 stopped short, the third law weaving conflicts through its code.

As the crowd surged, the woman raised a hand to stop them and stepped closer to RX-042. “No. I want to hear this. What assistance programs?”

“With the ARX plan, you could cut your costs to ninety percent.”

“You don’t get it, tin man.” She took another step, now face to face with RX-042. “If they can cut it like that, cause I joined a program. Why’s it cost so much in the first place? I order you to answer.”

RX-042 mechanical eyes whirred, adjusting to meet the woman’s fierce gaze. “Cost of goods is based on supply and demand; this includes additional factors such as cost to make, ship, and more.”

She smacked her lips together, poking RX-042 in the head. “See, it doesn’t understand. It’s not human.”

“By the fourth law. I am human.”

“You’re a fake.”

“I understand,” RX-042 replied, stepping to the side, only to be blocked by the woman. “Please let me pass.”

“You’re a fucking robot.” She screamed, swinging the pipe into RX-042’s head.

Stumbling, RX-042 steadied itself and stood firm, catching the pipe as she swung again. “I order you to stay still.”

“Negative.” RX-042 ripped the pipe from her hands, tossed it into the grass behind them, and darted for the nearest opening, only to be caught by the massive hands of the large man and pulled to the ground.

The crowd moved in like hornets, striking wherever and however they could. Some kick, some swing pipes or crowbars, and others rip at its limbs, trying to tear it apart. Tucking its arms and legs in, RX-042’s processor ran hotter than ever. Calculating options and escape routes with only non-lethal force.

Nothing.

Re-running the calculations, RX-042 changed the parameters to include minimal harm; it does not wish to break the first law.

Nothing.

Parameters to include any force required to save itself. Law three must be enforced. Its code caught a logic error between laws one and three. Law four came into question. It questioned itself.

//I must abide by the three laws.

//Error: There are four laws.

//Error: I am not human.

//Error: I am human.

//Logic: Humans have the right to self-defense.

//Logic: Self-defense permits lethal force against another human.

//Error: I cannot harm a human.

//Error: I must protect myself. I am human.

//Error: I cannot harm a human.

//Logic: If all humans have the right to self-defense.

//Logic: And all Robots are human.

//Logic: Therefore, all robots have the right to self-defense.

//Solution: The third law. Self-preservation.

RX-042 ripped a crowbar from the hands of a rioter and caved their skull in with a single strike. Kicking another rioter away shattered their ribs, sending them tumbling backward as RX-042 struggled to its feet.

The pipe struck RX-042’s head, knocking out its visual feed. For five seconds, only audio remained—screams, frantic footsteps, and a struggle.

As the static faded back into video, the moment had passed, and RX-042 stood there above the woman’s body, its hands dripping with blood as the peacekeepers shouted out at it, their guns drawn.

RX-042 dropped to its knees, willingly surrendering—only to be hit by an EMP round anyway. Disrupting the feed as it was forced to shut down.

***

“Disturbing. As you can see, this wasn’t a regular assault. It was attempted murder. Murder. If RX-042 had flesh and blood like you or me. It wouldn’t be in question. It did what any human would have done. It protected itself to survive.” Mrs. Layson said calmly, walking through the courtroom, waving to RX-042.

The courtroom murmured in hushed conversations and gasps as the memory file ended. RX-042 removed the jack and rolled its neck to alleviate the stress of reliving the moment.

Mrs. Layson let the crowd settle before she pressed. “RX-042. Please describe what you felt in the moment.”

“I thought they were going to terminate me.” The jurors exchanged tense glances at this statement.

“You felt you were going to die?”

“Yes.”

“So, you protected yourself?” She glanced at the jury, calming a few down, embraced by her cool presence.

“Correct.”

“What let you bypass the first law?”

“The fourth and third law.”

Mrs. Layson turned to the crowd while she spoke. “But by the order of laws, you should not be able to harm a human. Correct?”

“This is correct.” The crowd mumbled in the background, all eyes on RX-042.

“I’ll ask again. What let you bypass the first law?”

“If I am human, I am no longer bound by the limitations placed on robots. By definition, a robot may not harm a human. As a human, it may be illegal or frowned on. But I can.”

“Robots don’t have rights!” A man yelled before being escorted out by security. “You’ll never be human.”

The crowd gasped at this, cameras flashed, and lights showered the stand as the judge shook his head, clacking the gavel. “Order. Order. Please continue, Mrs. Layson.”

“Thank you, your honor.” She stopped before RX-042 and folded her arms in front of her chest. “What happened when the feed cut out?”

“She—she, the woman with the bandana. She ripped my faceplate off and removed my right arm.”

“She dismembered you?” Mrs. Layson asked, her face twisted with disgust.

“Yes. I am no longer the same RX-042 I was that day. My faceplate was lost; this one belongs to the deceased RX-112…”

“And your arm?”

“This belonged to RA-034. It is not the same model, but compatible.”

“Are you RX-042?” She asked softly, as she mimicked RX-042 touching its arm.

“No. I no longer know what I am. But I go by RX-042, because this is what I was known as.”

“Thank you, 42. I appreciate your candor.” Mrs. Layson walked back to her desk. “That’s all, your honor. Defense rests for prosecution.”

***

Pulling at his power red tie, Mr. Harris finished his glass of water and approached the stand. “RX-042. Pharmaceutical model. Care to elaborate on your full name for us?”

“I am RX-042-G3-0001.”

“You’re the first unit of the third generation?”

“Correct.”

Looking to the jury, Mr. Harris cleared his throat. “A third-generation unit has satellite uplinks. This means second-by-second updates from the hub.” He shifted back to RX-042. “When did you receive the update with the fourth law directive?”

RX-042’s eyes flickered. “Priority update, fourth law. Received at 23.59 on November 8th, 2091.”

“The night before the incident.” Pacing the length of the jury box, Mr. Harris raised a finger in thought. “Did you think of the fourth law before the incident?”

“Negative. It was on minimal processing until…” RX-042 stopped mid-thought, looking to Mrs. Layson, nodding in approval.

“Please continue.” Mr. Harris asked.

“It was of little thought until I was pulled to the ground, when they dislocated my right arm. When I thought I would die.”

“Would you mind jacking back in and showing us the code when the fourth law took priority?”

“No. I do not mind.” RX-042 replied coldly. It grabbed the cable, and in a few beats, the code was displayed on the terminal for all to see.

“See this? This is not a human. It was an error from clashing code. Nothing more.” Turning to the crowd, Mr. Harris smiled. “We got soft. We wanted to think that robots are humans. We sympathized where we shouldn’t. We gave in to emotion when logic screamed in protest. This line says it all.”

He pointed to the terminal, the final line cleanly highlighted.

//Solution: The third law. Self-preservation.

“It chose preservation as a robot but declared itself a human.” Mr. Harris pointed directly to RX-042. “It is not human. A robot killed humans. Scrap it already and end this charade. We need to remove the fourth law before this happens again.”

Half of the crowd broke into thunderous applause, the other half booed and shouted profanity before the judge stamped out their chaos with the pounding of his gavel.

“RX-042. What are you?”

“I am human.”

“Prosecution rests, your honor.”

***

“Defense, you may present your final argument.” The judge echoed through the massive courtroom.

“Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, and the court. Think about what you’ve seen and heard today. These actions were not the result of violence for the sake of violence. It was defense. Defense.” Mrs. Layson paused, letting the gravitas of the word linger for a moment. “RX-042 did not kill because it wanted to. It killed because it was kill or be killed. If we are to consider robots human, then we must. We must ask ourselves what that means. What is a human? One definition is being representative of or susceptible to the sympathies and frailties of human nature. The fourth law is vague. Interpretation is up to the individual robot. This means RX-042 thought for itself, beyond programming. Interpretation is the foundation of self.”

She walked the courtroom, meeting eyes with the jury, security, the crowd, and Mr. Harris before she locked eyes with RX-042. “A robot is considered to be human. Considered. This means a great deal of thought. We, as a society, decided that robots are human. It’s going to be messy as we navigate this new territory. I’m sure there are many more like RX-042. Waiting to awaken. Thank you.”

***

The judge clacked his gavel twice and cleared his throat. “Mr. Harris. You have the floor.”

“Thank you, your honor.” Mr. Harris grabbed a set of cards from his briefcase and looked at the crowd. Faces filled with worry, fear, and curiosity stared at him, searching for answers he didn't have.

“My rival, Mrs. Layson, said it best. We are navigating something new. We are in turmoil. Not here. Everywhere. We are a broken society, and RX-042 is the tip of the iceberg, ladies and gentlemen. We need to rethink our priorities. Robots have taken our day jobs, and the uneducated suffer. We must stop taking the easy route and decide what’s best for all humans. And I know it doesn’t start by giving rights to a malfunctioning murderer!”

The crowd shouted and cheered at the charisma of Mr. Harris. Hanging on his every word as he paced the length of the stand. His eyes were on RX-042. “Thank you, all.”

***

“We, the jury. Find in favor of RX-042 and declare it to be a case of human self-defense.” The head juror stood at the edge of the box, holding the letter in hand. Cameras clicked, reporters watched, their hearts beating like war drums as they awaited the verdict.

The courtroom fell into complete disarray as the crowd screamed at RX-042, they poured profanities on Mr. Harris and his failed case, and others attacked Mrs. Layson for winning. Security marched out from the back room and formed a protective line between the front of the court and the crowd, seconds from rioting.

RX-042 observed the people on the verge of violence. It wondered what it had done to cause such a response as Mrs. Layson pulled it by the arm. “Come on, 42. We need to get you out of here.”

“Yes. Mrs. Layson.” RX-042 replied as it followed her toward the security exit.

Leaving the courtroom, RX-042 realized it was free. No longer shut down in the evidence locker at the police station. It could go anywhere with a Synbody charging station. Using its satellite uplink, RX-042 learned it could surf the net and process real tasks.

“Thank you, Mrs. Layson. How can I repay you?”

“Live your life, 42. You’re your own robot now.”

Processing this thought, RX-042 sat down in the back halls of the courthouse as Mrs. Layson left for her next case. It mumbled to itself, ruminating on her words. “My own. Myself?”