Chicago, 2035. Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) is out-of-step with most of his fellow citizens in this large city. They accept robots as helpful servants and companions in their everyday lives. These machines walk pets, deliver packages, serve in restaurants, and do other menial jobs. Lawrence Robertson (Bruce Greenwood) is chairman of United States Robotics (USR) which is ready to launch a new generation of affordable robots; he expects to put one in every five households. But then Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), who created these technological wonders, is found dead. Although many are convinced that he committed suicide, Detective Spooner thinks that this scientific genius was murdered by a robot. To the ears of Dr. Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), Lanning's co-worker who specializes in robot psyches, this is heresy since it would go against the three laws of robotics: (1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; (2) A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. (3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Detective Spooner is a technophobic person, thanks to a terrifying and physically debilitating accident in the past that involved a robot. He does not trust these machines without hearts. and that has made him an outsider in society. In addition, he loves soul music, cherishes some old sneakers from the past, and lives a simple existence. His boss and friend Lt. John Bergin (Chi McBride) tries to cut him some slack but worries that he has lost touch with reality. When Spooner comes up with a suspect for the murder, it turns out to be Sonny (voiced by Alan Tudyk), a special robot that Dr. Lanning created who has emotions, dreams, and a fear of death. Dr. Calvin's rationalism is unhinged by her encounters with Sonny who seems almost human. Having discovered one aberrant robot, Spooner finds himself under siege from other rebellious robots who attack him in an underground highway. Who is behind this disastrous turn of events?

I, Robot is directed by Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow) with a screenplay by Jeff Vintar suggested by the book of science fiction stories by Isaac Asimov. While this sci-fi thriller lacks the thematic richness and imaginative allusiveness of Steven Spielberg's A. I. Artificial Intelligence, it does present a fascinating look at the desirability of developing and using intelligent machines. Can human beings and robots achieve rewarding symbiotic relationships? Even more relevant to our contemporary situation, could robots prevent humans from doing more harm to the universe and to ourselves? Will Smith carries this thriller as a convincing rebel with a cause who marches to his own secret drummer. And visual effects supervisor John Nelson has done a fine job with Sonny and the film's high tech action sequences.