“Frankenstein complex” was suggested by Isaac Asimov. It describes the unconscious fear of artificial objects overtaking humanity. Asimov was the first to discuss the phobia of machines in I, Robot. But it refers back to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. There she illustrates the first human-made murderous humanoid experiment.
Detailed answer:
“Frankenstein complex” was coined by Isaac Asimov in his book I, Robot. This tool described concern about robots and other artificial entities. It was called the “fear of mechanical men.” Asimov borrowed the concept from another book with a similar scenario – Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Frankenstein does not involve any robots. The antagonist is a human-made humanoid pieced from different corpses. This experiment intended to renew life and to discover the secrets of death and creation.
Despite the lack of ill intent, the creature becomes disastrous. It haunts the creator by murdering his loved ones. The plot outlines the concerns that the “Frankenstein complex” entails. People fear that artificial creations will become self-conscious and turn against the creators, leading to their demise. This scenario is transformed into the development of robots that Asimov describes. The concept implies that people should not recreate life, which is “God’s work.”