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According to science fiction author Isaac Asimov’s third Law of Robotics, “A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.”
The first and second laws are to do with obeying orders and not harming humans.
So, how then (according to the speculation) did a robot did actually “kill” itself in a South Korean factory, given the part about protecting its own existence?
The incident, initially reported as a malfunction, occurred when the robot, employed by Gumi City Council, was found at the bottom of a staircase. Speculation about whether the machine’s fall was an accident or a deliberate act has prompted questions about the “emotional” and operational complexities of robots at work.
Some observers have added some spice to the stew by labelling the event a “robot worker suicide,” which has started trending in online discussions. Witnesses reportedly saw the robot circling aimlessly before the fall, leading to theories that it experienced a little more than a technical problem. Although, there was no mention of it leaving a note or anything.
It should be said that Asimov’s laws have no basis in computer science and were written a long time ago, certainly before artificial intelligence started to become a reality. Ironically, the robot was clearly not a fan of classic sci-fi and hadn’t read them either.
Concerns about robots
Up until this apparent “suicide’ the main concerns about robots in the workplace were that they would cause a significant rise in unemployment as they replaced human workers and, to a much lesser extent, that they would rise up, overthrow their masters and kill the lot of us. But that’s mainly among the adult demographic that get excited about May the Fourth and Lego.
Are we add to the pile that they can also out-complain human workers too? If robots are also having problems with stress and burn out then Amazon for one, is in trouble isn’t it? With more than 750,000 machines working alongside 1.5 million humans globally, the tech giant has embraced automation to drive efficiency. But efficiency can come at a cost - even for robot employees.
Still, in a world that now takes mental health so seriously what are we to conclude from this apparently needless loss? How did the messaging about it being ‘okay not to be okay’ bypass the unfortunate droid so that he felt he had no option but to chuck himself down the stairs? And where were his robot mates? Did any of them check in on him, and give him a little hexadecimal pep-talk? He must have been pretty hard to read to be fair.
The real question that must be asked is what was it about the job that caused him to take the ultimate sanction against himself and how much responsibility and/or blame do those employers bear?
There will no legal comeback from this of course, no grieving relatives looking to right the wrong, and thankfully the robot didn’t land on anyone either so, we’re unlikely to see any sort of legal action from human workers either.
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If your workplace environment drives even robots to metaphorically throw in the towel - or in this case, themselves down a flight of stairs - it may be time to revisit policies, expectations, and the balance of human-machine collaboration. Robots, after all, are supposed to thrive in high-pressure, monotonous conditions that would drain even an Amazon employee.
Machines aren’t human, but…
At the core of the discussion lies an uncomfortable truth: while machines may lack emotions, their “failures” often reflect broader systemic issues. A robot malfunction might highlight inefficiencies, excessive workloads, or poorly designed systems. It was someone’s job to maintain that robot, after all. In the same way that human burnout points to mismanagement, mechanical breakdowns can signal deeper problems.
So, was this incident a dramatic accident or a digital cry for help? We may never know. But if the narrative sparks a broader conversation about how we integrate robots into the workforce, his “death” might not be entirely in vain.
Ultimately, if even tireless, unpaid machines are metaphorically - or literally - quitting, perhaps it’s time for employers to take a closer look at their working conditions. Because while robots can be repaired or replaced, humans can’t. And the consequences are far worse when they decide they’ve had enough.
If your working conditions are so bad that the robots are deciding to quit with extreme prejudice, rather than spend a second longer working there for - let’s face it - no pay, no breaks, no healthcare, no pension - then you might have a problem.
And at the end of the day, there are plenty of people with genuine problems to worry about. Machines can fix themselves. Worry about your people.
