Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics first appeared in Runaround in 1942

Isaac Asimov’s short story “Runaround” appeared in the March 1942 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, listed in the table of contents under Short Stories beginning on page 94. It is the first place Asimov stated his Three Laws of Robotics in full as an explicit, prioritized code: a robot may not harm a human, must obey human orders unless that conflicts with the first law, and must protect itself unless that conflicts with the first two laws.

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Last verified June 6, 2026