For all robot aficionados, this popped up in the June 7, 2026, morning edition of JSTOR Daily, highlighting an article written in May by Livia Gershon:
“Did the First Robot Come from Oz?”
If so, then I nominate it for the title of “The Great Grandad of Artificially Intelligent Robots” and have gained a newfound appreciation for foundational literature such as The Wizard of Oz series.
I never thought of The Wizard of Oz (book or movie) as a piece of science fiction, but this article has me now appreciating it as such.
What Frank Baum, in 1907, created has engaged the minds of people across many generations. With the 1939 release of the now classic (and endlessly rebroadcasted) film on through the amazing rebirth of the tale at The Sphere in Las Vegas, the Tin Man has become a prime example of how we think an intelligent robot should look—and behave.
Contrast this with the dystopian view presented in the classic movie made by Fritz Lang in 1927, Metropolis.
Yes, behavior matters in how we think of robot applications today, especially with the rise of the discussion about robot “warriors” being used as substitutes for humans in military conflicts. Did The Terminator film series give momentum to this initiative? The Tin Man was helpful to Dorothy and friends. Will this carry forward into the future of AI-infused robotic deployments? Or will we be running and hiding from a Terminator.
About the Author
Tim Lindner develops multimodal technology solutions (voice / augmented reality / RF scanning) that focus on meeting or exceeding logistics and supply chain customers’ productivity improvement objectives. He can be reached at linkedin.com/in/timlindner.