When Finch activates the robot he reminds him of his four prime directives. The first is Isaac Asimov's first law of robotics.
Finch's small robot is named Dewey in a nod to the robots Huey, Louie and Dewey in Silent Running (1972). In Silent Running a man is left alone with only the company of his robots and teaches Dewey how to look after the plants in the garden on a spaceship.
One of Finch's books is titled "Apocalypse Survival" and is dated 2028.
Jeff the robot was animated using motion capture technology.
The music used in the Official Trailer is a variation of Hans Zimmer's score for True Romance (1993), specifically the track "You're So Cool".