The HAL 9000 computer and the vision of
2001: A Space Odyssey
David G. Stork
Ricoh California Research Center
and Stanford University
"I am a HAL 9000 computer production number 3. I became operational
at the HAL Laboratories in Urbana, Illinois on January 12, 1997..."
--Arthur C. Clarke 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968 novel)
It's 2001: Where's HAL?
2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke's 1968
epic film about space exploration and the evolution
of intelligence, was the most carefully researched and scientifically
precise feature film ever made. Now, in its namesake year,
we can compare the film's computer science "predictions" with
current technological fact -- in particular those related to its central
character, the HAL 9000 computer, which could speak, reason, see, play
chess, plan and express emotions. In some domains reality has surpassed
the vision in the film: computer chess, computer hardware, and graphics.
In numerous others, reality has fallen far short: computer
speech, language, vision, lipreading, planning, and common sense. The film
missed some trends entirely: the film showed no
laptops or PDAs and HAL as large as a school bus but in reality computers
instead got small. As such, the film provides a
remarkable perspective on the sweep of developments in the modern era of
computer technology. The future isn't what it used to be.
This non-technical talk is profusely illustrated with clips from 2001 and
current research and sheds new light on key moments of
the film. You will never see the film the same way again.
This non-technical talk is profusely illustrated with clips from 2001
and current research and sheds new light on key moments of the film -- you
will never see the film the same way again.
David G. Stork is Chief Scientist at the Ricoh Innovations as well as Consulting
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Visiting Lecturer in
Computer Science at Stanford University. This talk is based on his fourth book, HAL's Legacy:
2001's computer as dream and reality. He recently completed the second edition of Pattern
Classification by R. O. Duda, P. E. Hart and D. G. Stork
(Wiley).
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