What is the third law of robotics according to Asimov's list?

• A. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws
• B. A robot may not injure a human being
• C. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings
• D. A robot must not injure a human being at all costs

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how Asimov’s three laws are ordered in priority. The third law says a robot must protect its own existence, but only as long as doing so does not conflict with the first two laws. That means self-preservation is allowed and even expected, but never at the expense of protecting a human or disobeying a human's orders when those orders don’t violate the first law.

So the statement that a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law matches that priority structure. It reflects the rule that while a robot should look after itself, this concern yields to keeping humans safe and obeying humans. The other options describe protecting humans or obeying orders, or overstate self-preservation in a way that would undermine those higher protections, which is not consistent with the established hierarchy.