"When Robot and Crow Saved East St. Louis" is a 2018 science fiction short story by Annalee Newitz.
Robot is an autonomous CDC drone, monitoring the Metro East population for viral outbreaks.
When the CDC's budget is cut, and Robot is abandoned, it continues its mission with the aid of the city's crows.
[1] Kirkus Reviews considered it "charming", and noted that it provides "both humor and hope",[2] while The Verge called it "great".
[4] Newitz has stated that the story was inspired in part by the presence of bird imagery at the Cahokia archaeological site, and has emphasized that Robot's programmed emotional responses have made it the equivalent of a victim of abuse.