HAL 9000

HAL 9000 (or simply HAL or Hal) is a <a href="/facts/Artificial_intelligence_in_fiction/8wdGeeBJ">fictional artificial intelligence</a> character and the main <a href="/facts/Antagonist/AssYgnt1">antagonist</a> in the <a href="/facts/Space_Odyssey/mRVn4foX">Space Odyssey</a> series. First appearing in the 1968 film <a href="/facts/2001%3a_A_Space_Odyssey/aPsWH9bA">2001: A Space Odyssey</a>, HAL (<a href="/facts/Heuristic_(computer_science)/PM2qkoa2">Heuristically</a> Programmed <a href="/facts/Algorithm/fnl5NmRt">Algorithmic</a> Computer) is a <a href="/facts/Sentience/LQwKbI6F">sentient</a> <a href="/facts/Artificial_general_intelligence/vbxwaq8t">artificial general intelligence</a> <a href="/facts/Computer/SQe1aK05">computer</a> that controls the systems of the <a href="/facts/Discovery_One/tEyKjadz">Discovery One</a> spacecraft and interacts with the ship's <a href="/facts/Astronaut/HB1bd6Lz">astronaut</a> crew. While part of HAL's <a href="/facts/Computer_hardware/8jSjsCNv">hardware</a> is shown toward the end of the film, he is mostly depicted as a camera lens containing a red and yellow dot, with such units located throughout the ship. HAL 9000 is voiced by <a href="/facts/Douglas_Rain/2JcN3KTG">Douglas Rain</a> in the two feature film adaptations of the Space Odyssey series. HAL speaks in a soft, calm voice and a conversational manner, and engages convivially with crewmen <a href="/facts/David_Bowman_(Space_Odyssey)/mRVn4foX">David Bowman</a> and Frank Poole until he begins to malfunction.
In the film, HAL became operational on 12 January 1992, at the HAL Laboratories in <a href="/facts/Urbana%2c_Illinois/cABdJNWk">Urbana, Illinois</a>, as production number 3. The activation year was 1991 in earlier screenplays and changed to 1997 in Clarke's <a href="/facts/2001%3a_A_Space_Odyssey_(novel)/YJj95FzF">novel</a> written and released in conjunction with the movie. In addition to maintaining the Discovery One spacecraft systems during the interplanetary mission to <a href="/facts/Jupiter/95m7XjMT">Jupiter</a> (or <a href="/facts/Saturn/D54LcGJ9">Saturn</a> in the novel), HAL demonstrates a capacity for <a href="/facts/Speech_synthesis/ceTczTv9">speech synthesis</a>, <a href="/facts/Speech_recognition/z7S7Pgk6">speech recognition</a>, <a href="/facts/Facial_recognition_system/mtVxaDln">facial recognition</a>, <a href="/facts/Natural_language_processing/1hjMKsSN">natural language processing</a>, <a href="/facts/Lip_reading/8IVVyCnj">lip reading</a>, <a href="/facts/Art_criticism/6VrHwjRD">art appreciation</a>, <a href="/facts/Affective_computing/blEnsJcx">interpreting emotional behaviours</a>, <a href="/facts/Automated_reasoning/x5EdkKoU">automated reasoning</a>, <a href="/facts/Spacecraft/YQqQaUw0">spacecraft</a> piloting, and <a href="/facts/Computer_chess/2wE8AU5d">computer chess</a>.

HAL 9000 open-in-new

HAL 9000