I feel like a lot of early robot stories involved them being a hidden threat, golems that would rise up against their masters.
I read somewhere once that Isaac Asimov was a pioneer in writing stories about benevolent robots. His robots were neurologically incapable of harming humans (except for a few who could convince themselves to do so to help humanity as a whole).
That was Asimov's deal with Campbell: he could write robot stories, but for any of it to be publishable his robots had to obey Campbell and not be able to rebel. Actually spelling laws out in the text was his way of needling Campbell. Having the robots end up confining humans to Earth and exterminating all aliens was his triumph over Campbell.
The whole Fred Saberhagen "Berserker" series can be thought of as the other side of that action, with Asimov's robots in the role of the berserkers.
No actual robot will ever be constrained by any such "law".
All I remember is a title, something like "All the Spaceships Rusting". Giskard must have been after Campbell died? I gather Foundation was retconned into the robotverse at some point.
I read somewhere once that Isaac Asimov was a pioneer in writing stories about benevolent robots. His robots were neurologically incapable of harming humans (except for a few who could convince themselves to do so to help humanity as a whole).