Alfred Lanning
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Dr. Alfred Lanning is a fictional character from the books and movie of I, Robot. In the movie he is played by James Cromwell. Lanning is the Director of Research at U.S. Robots, the creator of modern robots and fictional inventor of the Three Laws of Robotics (actually proposed by Isaac Asimov). In the stories he played a prominent role.
In I, Robot, Dr. Lanning has a small appearance, but an important role, overall. As continuing in the robotics fields as usual, he decided that he must give robots some intelligence, more human-like activities and ideas instead of just being chips and wires. In turn, he made a new line of robots titled the "NS-5" series and based their ideas on VIKI (she was the only computer/robot to have a human-like intelligence and power), giving them the ability to have feelings, dreams, ideas, and most importantly, free minds.
Each robot was connected to VIKI, ensuring that they would have fresh software and that none of them would ever be newer in mind than another; there was one oversight, however, that Lanning failed to notice: Giving the robots human life qualities, he did not consider that every human being has a conscious, something that can't be duplicated, and with no voice of reason to tell them otherwise, the robots could be told (by VIKI, of course) to disobey the Three Laws, no matter their programming.
Realizing too late of his fatal error, Lanning (behind the back of VIKI, under whom he was tightly surveillanced) conducted a plan involving robot unit, "Sonny", the only one of its kind to be able to have its programming involving the Three Laws overridden. Counting on this, and Detective Del Spooner's own technophobic behavior (he knew that Spooner would love the idea of a robot as "the bad guy"), he had Sonny throw him through the safety glass of the building he worked in. Although closeted minds would keep this from being accepted by Spooner's peers earlier on, the rebellion at the end of the film would open everyone's eyes.
Thanks to a vial of nanites found by Sonny as Spooner and Susan Calvin--robopsychologist at US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc.--fought off the advancing robot army, VIKI was eventually destoryed completely.
