All concepts 
Character · Affiliation

Programmed

A character, android, or entity designed with predetermined functions, rigid goals, and hardcoded roles that dictate its behavior.

The thrill of witnessing rigid logic clash with emergent sentience, the struggle against predetermined purpose, and the philosophical quandary of whether a created being can ever truly be free.

Books

The Positronic ManIsaac Asimov
Exit StrategyMartha Wells
Annie BotSierra Greer
Service ModelAdrian Tchaikovsky
We Can Build YouPhilip K. Dick
WebMageKelly McCullough
CogGreg van Eekhout
The Mad Scientist's DaughterCassandra Rose Clarke
Sunrise AlleyCatherine Asaro
Set My Heart to FiveSimon Stephenson
The God GameDanny Tobey
ThigmooEugene Byrne
Today I Am CareyMartin L. Shoemaker
PrioritiesLynda Lyons
Blood and IronTony Ballantyne
The Eden CycleRaymond Z. Gallun
Day ZeroC. Robert Cargill
The Phoenix CodeCatherine Asaro
Concrete OperationalRichard Galbraith
To PreserveMickey Zucker Reichert
Shall Machines Bite the SunBenjanun Sriduangkaew
Agent of the UnknownMargaret St. Clair

Related

Artificial BeingSimulatedLab RatCorporate DroneAI-OriginConsignedAndroid