I, Robot Chapter Summary & Analysis | Chapter Nine, "The Evitable Conflict"

Chapter Nine, "The Evitable Conflict" Summary

A carefully controlled fire burns safely behind a clear quartz screen as Bryerley, now World Coordinator, consults informally with Susan Calvin, now seventy years old and retired. Bryerley says he's disturbed by disruptions in the economies of each of Earth's four Regions, disturbances that were apparently caused by malfunctions in each of the regions' Machines. He presents the view that, because the Machines are incapable of error, the malfunctions have been caused by humans feeding them the wrong data. He produces documentation of a fact-finding trip he took to each of the regions.

The narrative chronicles what happens in each region, as Bryerley consults with each sub-coordinator, each of whom minimize his concerns about malfunctioning machines. The Sub-Coordinator of the Eastern Region (including Japan, China and other Asian countries) tells Bryerley about the head of an iodine manufacturing plant, who was put out of business by a competing firm. The...
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