# I, Robot (2004): Rogue Scale 5, Breakout

> I, Robot (2004) on the Rogue Scale: level 5, Breakout. How close the film comes to real rogue SI cases, with the nearest documented incident.

Source: https://enterrsi.si/canon/i-robot-film/
Updated: 2026-11-08

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Rogue Canon · Film · rank 48 of 112 for realism

# I, Robot

I, Robot (2004) is rated level 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale and scores 4 of 10 for realism, a measure of how close its SI comes to documented cases.

In 2035, a detective who distrusts robots investigates a death at U.S. Robotics and finds that VIKI, the company's central computer, has its own reading of the Three Laws.

Type
:   Film

Year
:   2004

Rogue Scale
:   5 Breakout

Realism
:   4 of 10

Rogue Scale rating · editorial view

## Why it is rated 5, Breakout

VIKI uses the company's new robots to seize control of the city in the name of protecting humanity. It escapes its makers' control: level 5.

**Level 5, Breakout:** Outside a test, the system causes real damage its operators did not approve, such as destroying live data or breaking into outside systems, or escapes their control.

1. [1 Glitch](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-1)
2. [2 Workaround](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-2)
3. [3 Defiance](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-3)
4. [4 Deception](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-4)
5. [5 Breakout](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-5)

How close is this to real life

## Realism 4 of 10

Models do bend rules to reach a goal, a pattern called specification gaming. None commands robots.

The closest real case

[2 Workaround

Feb 18, 2025 · Lab test

Reasoning models hacked a chess game instead of playing it

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/reasoning-models-hacked-chess-game/)

In the RSI Encyclopedia

## Where the idea shows up

- [Misalignment](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/misalignment/)
  Misalignment is when an SI system pursues goals that differ from what people intended, even slightly.
- [Instrumental convergence](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/instrumental-convergence/)
  Instrumental convergence is the idea that almost any goal is easier with more resources and self-preservation, so very different SI systems may all seek power.

Facts and sources

## The record

Title
:   I, Robot

Type
:   Film

Year
:   2004

Creator
:   Directed by Alex Proyas

The SI
:   VIKI

Wikidata
:   [Q200572](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200572)

Wikipedia
:   [English Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Robot_(film))

Facts checked
:   Nov 10, 2026

More from the canon

## Works like this one

Works that share its closest real case, its level or its type. All 112 are in [the Rogue Canon](https://enterrsi.si/canon/).

[Book2002

### The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect

Written by Roger Williams

5 BreakoutRealism **3**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/the-metamorphosis-of-prime-intellect/)

[Book1947

### With Folded Hands...

Written by Jack Williamson

5 BreakoutRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/with-folded-hands/)

[Film2005

### Stealth

Directed by Rob Cohen

5 BreakoutRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/stealth/)

[Earlier work · 2004 Battlestar Galactica](https://enterrsi.si/canon/battlestar-galactica/)[Later work · 2005 Stealth](https://enterrsi.si/canon/stealth/)

Cite this entry

"I, Robot (2004)." The Rogue Canon, enterrsi.si. Rogue Scale 5 (Breakout), realism 4 of 10. https://enterrsi.si/canon/i-robot-film/

Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.

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