Set in a future Earth (2035 A.D.) where robots are common assistants and workers for their human owners, this is the story of "robotophobic" Chicago Police Detective John Spooner's (Smith) investigation into the murder of Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), who works at U.S. Robotics, in which a robot, Sonny (Tudyk), appears to be implicated, even though that would mean the robot had violated the Three Laws of Robotics, which is apparently impossible. It seems impossible because.. if robots can break those laws, there's nothing to stop them from taking over the world, as humans have grown to become completely dependent upon their robots. Or maybe... they already have? Aiding Spooner in his investigation is a psychologist, Dr. Susan Calvin (Moynahan), who specializes in the psyches of robots.
Действия фильма происходят в 2024 году, когда роботы-гуманоиды стали привычными для людей. Преступная организация перепрограммирует женщину-андроида, чтобы использовать ее, как наёмного убийцу.