Asimovian Rules Mislead AI Governance

Science‑fiction rules like Asimov’s three laws are influential but brittle: they trade on simple, memorable language that hides ambiguity about who counts as 'human', how to weigh competing harms, and how utility‑style 'humanity' clauses can justify local atrocities. Relying on such narrative shortcuts risks misdirecting regulators and technologists toward simplistic or dangerous policy prescriptions. — If policymakers and publics lean on memorable fictional rules rather than operational legal or technical standards, AI regulation may be both ineffective and prone to moral tradeoffs that produce real harm.