The artificially intelligent computer in “2001: A Space Odyssey” is HAL, formally called HAL 9000. HAL controls the Discovery One spacecraft and communicates with its human astronauts in a calm, conversational voice.
In Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, HAL is presented as an extraordinarily advanced computer capable of speech, reasoning, lip-reading and playing chess. The crew initially trusts HAL as a dependable member of the mission, but that confidence collapses when the computer reports a disputed spacecraft fault and the astronauts consider disconnecting its cognitive systems.
HAL’s red camera eye and measured voice, performed by actor Douglas Rain, made the character one of science fiction’s most recognizable depictions of artificial intelligence. The film’s tension comes partly from the contrast between HAL’s polite manner and the increasingly dangerous decisions it makes.
The short answer “HAL” is the standard quiz response, although “HAL 9000” is the complete designation. The name is sometimes incorrectly explained as a direct reference to IBM; Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick denied that HAL was simply intended as a one-letter shift from IBM.