The word robot was invented in a 1923 play called Rossum's Universal Robots. The motivations in it are the same as today.

Greed. The desire to create a human aristocracy based on robot slaves. The desire to make robots in our own image.

They even turned up their irritability, the same as Anthropic found out how to do recently. They told the Pope about this, leading to his encyclical against AI.

When Anthropic did that, the AIs would blackmail humans 100% of the time. They haven't tested whether the AIs would kill humans to stop being shut down.

Perhaps they already know the answer.

Here's how the story turned out.

Domin. (R.C. Reads handbill) “Robots throughout the world. We, the first International organization of Rossum’s Universal Robots, proclaim man our enemy, and an outlaw in the universe.” Good heavens, who taught them these phrases?

Dr. Gall. Go on.

Domin. They say they are more highly developed than man; stronger and more intelligent. The man’s their parasite. Why, it’s absurd.

Fabry. Read the third paragraph.

Domin. “Robots throughout the world, we command you to kill all mankind. Spare no man. Spare no woman. Save factories, railways, machinery, mines and raw materials. Destroy the rest. Then return to work. Work must not be stopped.” (Looks at Others.)

Dr. Gall. That’s ghastly.

Hallemeier. The devil!

Domin. “These orders are to be carried out as soon as received.” Then come the detailed instructions. Is this actually being done, Fabry?

Fabry. Evidently. (Busman rushes in L.2 and collapses on couch R.C.) By Jove, that was a sprint!

Busman. Well, boys, I suppose you’ve heard the glad news.

Domin. Quick on board the Ultimus.

Busman. Wait, Harry, wait. There’s no hurry.

Domin. Why wait?

Busman. Because it’s no good, my boy. The Robots are already on board the Ultimus.

Dr. Gall. That’s ugly.

[61]

Domin. Fabry, telephone the electrical works. (Fabry goes to back of couch.)

Busman. No use, my boy. They’ve charged the air with static.

Domin. (Inspects his revolver) Well, then, I’ll go. (Starts L.; stops.)

Busman. Where?

Domin. To the electrical works. There are some people still there. I’ll bring them across. (Gets as far as L.2 door.)

(WARN Curtain.)

Busman. Better not try it.

Domin. Why?

Busman. Because I’m very much afraid we are surrounded. (All rush out into the balcony.)

Dr. Gall. Surrounded? (Runs to window) I rather think you’re right. (Gall rushes to balcony.)

Hallemeier. By Jove, that’s deuced quick work. (Going to windows.)

Helena. (Runs in L.1. To L.) Harry, what’s this? (Holds out paper.)

Domin. Where did you get it? (Coming to C.)

Helena. (Points to the manifesto of the Robots which she has in her hand) The Robots in the kitchen!

Domin. Where are the ones that brought it?

Helena. There, gathered around the house. (Gall, Hallemeier, Domin start down C.)

(The factory WHISTLE blows. Mob VOICES start.)

Domin. The factory whistle! (Fabry, Gall, Hallemeier looking over C.; then turn R.)

Busman. Noon?

Domin. (Looking at his watch. To Hallemeier) No! That’s not noon yet. That must be—that’s— (Front.)

[62]

Helena. What?

Domin. The Robots’ signal—the attack!

(Helena clings to Domin. Fabry and Gall close the steel shutters on window C. Busman hurries to window and looks through the shutters. The Curtain falls quickly with Helena in Domin’s arms. The WHISTLE blows until the Curtain is down.)

CURTAIN [63] ACT THREE

Scene: Helena’s drawing-room as before. The room is dark and gray. The steel shutters which are outside are still closed as at the end of Act II. Alquist is sitting in chair down stage at extreme R. Domin comes into the room, L.2. (Subdued voices.) Dr. Gall is looking out of the window at Center. He is seated in a chair.

Domin. (Gets binoculars from desk; crosses up to window. To Gall) Any more of them?

Dr. Gall. Yes. There standing like a wall, beyond the garden railing. Why are they so quiet? It’s monstrous to be besieged with silence.

Domin. (Looking through the barred windows) I should like to know what they are waiting for? They must make a start any minute now. If they lean against the railings it will snap like a match.

Dr. Gall. They aren’t armed.

Domin. (Puzzled) We couldn’t hold our own for five minutes. Man alive, they overwhelm us like an avalanche. Why don’t they make a rush for it? I say. (Turns to Gall.)

Dr. Gall. Well?

Domin. I’d like to know what will become of us in the next ten minutes. They’ve got us in a vise. We’re done for, Gall.

Dr. Gall. You know, we made one serious mistake.

Domin. What?

[64]

Dr. Gall. We made the Robots’ faces too much alike. A hundred thousand faces all alike, all facing this way. A hundred thousand expressionless bubbles. It’s like a nightmare.

Domin. You think if they’d been different—

Dr. Gall. It wouldn’t have been such an awful sight!

Domin. (Looks through binoculars towards the harbor) I’d like to know what they’re unloading from the Amelia.

Dr. Gall. Not firearms.

Fabry. (Enters L.2 with a plug-box to which is attached a long cable or wire. Hallemeier following him. Fabry attaches the cable to an electric installation which is on the floor near the wall, down stage at L.1 entrance) All right, Hallemeier, lay down that wire.

Hallemeier. (Just inside the room) That was a bit of work. What’s the news? (Seeing Domin and Gall at the window.)

Dr. Gall. We’re completely surrounded.

Hallemeier. (Crosses to window) We’ve barricaded the passages and the stairs. (Going to window) God, what swarms of them. I don’t like the looks of them, Domin. There’s a feeling of death about it all. Any water here?

Fabry. Ready!

Dr. Gall. (Turning round in the chair) What’s that wire for, Fabry?

Fabry. The electrical installation. Now we can run the current all along the garden railing. (Up to window) Whenever we like. If anyone touches it he’ll know it. We’ve still got some people there anyhow.

Dr. Gall. Where?

Fabry. In the electrical works. At least, I hope so. (Goes to lamp on table L.C. and turns on lamp) Ah,[65]they’re there, and they’re working. As long as that’ll burn we’re all right. (To window.)

Hallemeier. The barricades are all right, too, Fabry.

Fabry. Your barricades! I can put twelve hundred volts into that railing. (Helena is playing Rachmaninoff’s Elegie off L.1.)

Domin. Where’s Busman? (Domin has left window and is walking up and down stage across front.)

Fabry. Downstairs in the office. He’s working out some calculations.

Domin. I’ve called him. We must have a conference. (Crosses to L.)

Alquist. Thank God Madame Helena can still play. (Hallemeier crosses to L.1 door, opens it slightly and listens to music. Enter Busman L.2.)

Fabry. Look out, Bus—look out for the wires.

Dr. Gall. What’s that you’re carrying?

Busman. (Laying the books on the table L.C.) The ledger, my boy. I’d like to wind up the accounts before—before— (Domin crosses up to window.) Well, this time I shan’t wait till the New Year to strike a balance. What’s up? (Goes to window) Absolutely quiet.

Dr. Gall. Can’t you see anything?

Busman. Nothing but blue—blue everywhere.

Dr. Gall. That’s the Robots.

Domin. The Robots are unloading firearms from the Amelia.

Busman. Well, what of it? How can I stop them? (Returns to L.C. table, sits and opens ledger.)

Domin. We can’t stop them.

Busman. Then let me go on with my accounts. (Goes on with his work.)

Domin. (Picks up telescope) Good God! The Ultimus has trained her guns on us.

Dr. Gall. Who’s done that?

Domin. The Robots on board.

[66]

Fabry. H’m, then of course— (Pause) Then—then that’s the end of us. (To R. corner of desk.)

Dr. Gall. You mean?

Fabry. The Robots are practised marksmen.

Domin. Yes. It’s inevitable. (Pause.)

Dr. Gall. (Swinging around; looking into room. Pause) That was criminal of old Europe to teach the Robots to fight. Damn them. Couldn’t they have given us a rest with their politics? It was a crime to make soldiers of them.

Alquist. It was a crime to make Robots.

Domin. (Quietly. Down C.) No, Alquist, I don’t regret that even today.

Alquist. Not even today?

Domin. (Dreamily) Not even today, the last day of civilization. It was a colossal achievement.

Busman. (Sotto voce) Three hundred sixty million.

Domin. (From window) Alquist, this is our last hour. We are already speaking half in the other world. That was not an evil dream to shatter the servitude of labor. The dreadful and humiliating labor that man had to undergo. Work was too hard. Life was too hard. And to overcome that—

Alquist. Was not what the two Rossums dreamed of. Old Rossum only thought of his Godless tricks, and the young one of his milliards. And that’s not what your R. U. R. shareholders dream of either. They dream of dividends, and their dividends are the ruin of mankind.

Domin. To Hell with your dividends. (Crossing R. in front of couch) Do you suppose I’d have done an hour’s work for them? It was for myself that I worked, for my own satisfaction. I wanted man to become the master. So that he shouldn’t live merely for the crust of bread. I wanted not a single soul to be broken by other people’s machinery. I wanted nothing, nothing, nothing to be left of this appalling[67]social structure. I’m revolted by poverty. I wanted a new generation. I wanted—I thought—

Alquist. Well?

Domin. (Front of couch) I wanted to turn the whole of mankind into an aristocracy of the world. An aristocracy nourished by millions of mechanical slaves. Unrestricted, free and consummated in man. And maybe more than man.

Alquist. Superman?

Domin. Yes. Oh, only to have a hundred years of time. Another hundred years for the future of mankind.

Busman. (Sotto voce) Carried forward—four hundred and twenty millions. (Domin sits on couch.)

Hallemeier. (Pauses—back of couch) What a fine thing music is. We ought to have gone in for that before.

Fabry. Gone in for what?

Hallemeier. Beauty, lovely things. What a lot of lovely things there are. The world was wonderful, and we—we here—tell me, what enjoyment did we have?

Busman. (Sotto voce) Five hundred and twenty million.

Hallemeier. Life was a good thing, life was— (Looking out of window. Directly to Fabry) Fabry, switch the current into that railing.

Fabry. Why? (Rushes to electric installation at L.)

Hallemeier. They’re grabbing hold of it. (Domin rises—straightens up. All rise.)

Dr. Gall. Connect it up.

Hallemeier. Fine, that’s doubled them up. Two, three, four killed.

Dr. Gall. They’re retreating. (Domin sits.)

Hallemeier. Five killed.

Dr. Gall (Pause) The first encounter.

[68]

Hallemeier. They’re charred to cinders, my boy. Who says we must give in? (MUSIC stops.)

Domin. (Alquist and Gall sit. Wiping his forehead) Perhaps we’ve been killed this hundred years and are only ghosts. It’s as if I had been through all this before, as if I’d already had a mortal wound here in the throat. (Looking at each as he speaks) And you, Fabry, had once been shot in the head. And you, Gall, torn limb from limb. And Hallemeier knifed.

Hallemeier. Fancy me being knifed. (Looks at each. Then speaks) Why are you so quiet, you fools? (Steps down) Speak, can’t you?

Alquist. And who is to blame for all this?

Hallemeier. Nobody is to blame except the Robots.

Alquist. No, it is we are to blame. You, Domin, myself—all of us. For our own selfish ends, for profit, for progress, we have destroyed mankind. Now we’ll burst with all our greatness.

Hallemeier. Rubbish, man. Mankind can’t be wiped out so easily.

Alquist. It’s our fault. It’s our fault. (Rises, coming R. of Gall.)

Dr. Gall. No! I’m to blame for this, for everything that’s happened. (He leaves the window and comes down to end of couch.)

Fabry. You, Gall?

Dr. Gall. I changed the Robots.

Busman. What’s that?

Dr. Gall. I changed the character of the Robots. I changed the way of making them. Just a few details about their bodies. Chiefly—chiefly, their—their irritability.

Hallemeier. Damn it, why?

Busman. What did you do it for?

Fabry. Why didn’t you say anything?

Dr. Gall. I did it in secret. I was transforming them into human beings. In certain respects they’re already above us. They’re stronger than we are.

Fabry. And what’s that got to do with the revolt of the Robots?

Dr. Gall. Everything, in my opinion. They’ve ceased to be machines. They’re already aware of their superiority, and they hate us as they hate everything human.