The super-computer with human feelings named HAL-9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey shows the potential benefits and detriments of ôhumanö machines. HAL dominates the shipÆs crew of astronauts who are either in hibernation or while away the time getting a suntan because HAL is able to ômimicö most of the activities of the human brain with much faster speed and foolproof reliability. When HAL is interviewed by the BBC, he asserts, ôWe are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of errorö (Kubrick 2001). HAL basically runs the ship, putting himself to the ôfullest use possible,ö all, he maintains ôthat any conscious entity can ever hope to doö (Kubrick 2001).
The crew members treat HAL like a fellow human. HAL admits he has a ôstimulating relationshipö with Dr. Poole and Dr. Bowman, and in a discussion that involves a possible malfunction with HAL, the astronauts refer to the super-computer as ôhimö (Kubrick 2001). HAL beats Frank at chess and he is able to critique the artwork rendered by Dave through his visual-recognition capabilities. In all ways, HAL appears to be human though he is a machine.
Despite HALÆs remarkable human-like abilities, Dave argues that his ability to have ôreal feelingsö is something no one can ôtruthfully answerö (Kubrick 2001). Despite DaveÆs doubt, HAL seems to express genuine feelings. When his malfunction causes the crew to consider shutting him down, HAL becomes vengeful and slowly kills off all of the crew with machine-like precision. HAL admits he has suspicions about the mission the crew is on, something he would not be programmed to feel. Likewise, HAL is programmed with self-diagnostic technology that enables him to detect a potential malfunction in the AE35 unit. Such technologies make HAL highly useful to the crew, until HAL seems to get a mind of his own. HAL becomes a murderous, paranoid killing machi
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