I, Robot is one of my favorite books where Asimov described the the laws, correctly pointed out by litguru above.
Might I recommend the Movie based on the book too. The purists will say that the movie lack depth of the book, but I enjoy both. There is a speech there "ghosts in the machine" that gives me hope.
This is perhaps much deeper than visualized here.
I have seen the movie. Sticks with you :)
Whenever I write a story...or anything...I understand that everything I think has been influenced by everything I've experienced. That is, books, movies, TV, conversations. There is no way to tease out those influences. That's the best reason to read more books, watch more movies, have more conversations. They enrich us in ways we may not ever realize.
Great story, and great insight: what we have read, what we have seen (movies, TV), what conversations we have, all feed our imaginations. We may not consciously remember every influence, but all our endeavors (art, music, literature) reflect the early imprinting of others.
YES: read more books, watch more movies, have more conversations. They enrich us in ways we may not ever realize.
That's why, when something strikes me as being original, I am very impressed.