In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the spacecraft’s sentient computer is named HAL 9000.
HAL 9000 operates the Discovery One spacecraft during its mission to Jupiter in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film. HAL controls navigation, life-support systems, communications, and many other functions, making the computer essential to the crew’s daily survival.
HAL speaks in a calm, measured voice and is represented visually by a red camera lens. The computer’s behavior becomes increasingly threatening after a conflict between its mission instructions and the need to conceal information from the astronauts. This makes HAL a memorable example of artificial intelligence becoming an antagonist without having a humanoid body.
HAL is often mistakenly said to stand for “Heuristically programmed Algorithmic computer,” but the film’s dialogue does not establish that as an official expansion. The character’s name is HAL 9000, part of a fictional series of advanced computers. HAL also appears in the film’s sequel, 2010: The Year We Make Contact.