Investor’s Daily poll (20 July 2026)

Long before ChatGPT and Tesla Optimus, where did the word "robot" first come from?

An ancient Greek invention 187 votes (32.0%)
A 1920 stage play 153 votes (26.2%)
NASA engineers 111 votes (19.0%)
Isaac Asimov's novels 134 votes (22.9%)

Total votes: 585

Answer: A 1920 Czech play, R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) by Karel Čapek. Interestingly, Čapek credited his brother Josef with suggesting the word. “Robot” comes from the Czech robota, meaning forced labour or drudgery.

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