The Positronic Man

"The Bicentennial Man" is a novella by Isaac Asimov. The story formed the basis of the novel The Positronic Man (1993), co-written with Robert Silverberg, and the 1999 movie Bicentennial Man, which starred Robin Williams. It is a part of Asimov's Robot Series. The story was originally written for the 1976 American bicentennial - Asimov was one of several authors commissioned to write a story revolving around the phrase "the bicentennial man", which the writers were to interpret in whatever way they chose. The plan was for the stories to be published as an anthology, but this fell through. The novella instead featured in Asimov's own short story collection, The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories. It is also included in The Complete Robot collection.

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

It tells of Andrew (later known as Andrew Martin), a robot that begins to display characteristics, such as creativity, traditionally the province of humans. The robot seeks legal protection and eventually full recognition as a human. Upon willfully abandoning his immortality, the robot is ultimately declared an official human being on the two-hundredth anniversary of his creation, hence the title.