A deconstructionist might also note that the letters HAL are only one letter off from IBM. International Business Machine (IBM) has been the leading corporation in the field of computers since before the late sixties, and is only now being overshadowed by high powered Silicon Graphic Workstations and cheaper standard computer desktop clones. HAL in 1968 was the supercomputer of the future. When recently asked what HAL's first words might have been Clark answered "Good morning doctors, I have taken the liberty of uninstalling windows 95 from my hard drive"(Newsweek April 1997).

Dave from HALs point of view
HAL

This futuristic computer not only had the power to control all functions of a space ship. But it also played chess and had an inquisitive personality. Eliza, the first attempt at Artificial Intelligence (AI) was not even designed until the mid 1970's. This parrot AI technology simply faked true intelligence by echoing the users answers. This was under the guise of a psychologist and fooled many people with its repetitive responses. Today we have the Loebner Prize, which is a contest challenging interested computer programs to write a program that will fool a panel of judges into thinking they are chatting with a real person.

Yet this would still not be the AI of HAL. We have not answered yet the philosophical question of what intelligence really is, and therefore do not know where the line is to be drawn with AI. Even so, HAL has a distinct personality and a craving for new Knowledge which far surpasses anything we have even attempted to create. I would also like to examine the idea that HAL was not only interested in learning new things, but he was intrigued by the idea of dreams. A computer of his caliber is not turned off and there for could not understand the idea of sleep. HAL asked Dave is he will dream when he dies. By adding these elements to the film, we can use HAL to question and examine our own fears about death, and the unconscious mind.

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