Long before the
Isaac Asimov book (which I love), and long before all the other things mentioned in this node, way back in 1939, when
SF was just coming to age, an man by the name of
Eando Binder wrote a short story called 'I, Robot.' It was first published in the January 1939 issue of
Amazing Stories.
The story, formed as a suicide note tells the story of a unnamed, sentient robot created by a scientist named Dr. Link after 20 years of trying. Dr. Link takes the role of a rather fatherly figure, teaching the robot how to read, and walk, and such. In his walking lessons with Dr. Link, he comes across the house cleaner, who is scared half to death, until Dr. Link calms her. She remains suspicious of him. The Robot spends every walking hour (which is every hour) reading, and learning, and in a short time, he has exhausted the Dr. Link's library.
After the robot matures a little, the Dr. gives him a name...Adam Link. Shortly after, in a freak accident, Dr. Link is killed, and naturally, the housekeeper blamed Adam. In trying to escape from her puny attacks, Adam hurt her, and almost kills her. Adam, after several days on the run, goes back to the laboratory, needing a new battery. As he enters Dr. Links office, he sees the one book not in the library. Frankenstein. Reading it, Adam realized what he is, an abomination, and lets himself die.