1. Who is Robbie, and what is his primary function in the story?
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1. How does the story portray the relationship between humans and robots? Do you think this portrayal is still relevant today?
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2. How does Gloria feel about Robbie at the beginning of the story? How does this contrast with her parents' feelings?
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2. Discuss the different attitudes towards robots shown by Gloria, Mrs. Weston, and Mr. Weston. Whose perspective do you most agree with and why?
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3. What strategy do Gloria's parents use to try and separate her from Robbie?
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3. The story was written in 1940. How do you think societal attitudes towards artificial intelligence and robots have changed since then? What lessons, if any, can we draw from this story about our own interactions with AI and robots?
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4. Why does Mrs. Weston (Gloria's mother) feel increasingly anxious about Robbie's presence?
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4. What does Robbie's character suggest about Asimov's view of artificial intelligence? Do you agree with this portrayal? By the end of the story, do you think the characters have learned anything about their relationships with technology?
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5. How does Mr. Weston initially react to his wife's concerns about Robbie?
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5. How does the story explore the concept of emotional attachment to non-human entities? Is Gloria's attachment to Robbie healthy or problematic?
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6. Describe the incident at the museum. How does this event affect the characters' attitudes towards robots?
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6. Discuss the fears and concerns about robots expressed in the story. Are these fears justified? How do they compare to current concerns about AI?
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7. What happens when Gloria goes missing? How does this situation resolve? How does the story address the issue of trust between humans and machines? Do you think Robbie is more or less trustworthy than a human caretaker?
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