They didn't know he could lie, and they were also unaware he could read lips. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the crew clearly never read the HAL 'Quick Start Guide'. So, while companies are marketing virtual assistants as your 'assistant', they are in fact your 'analyst'. Mining big data for predictive analytics is all the rage in the business world. The commercial benefit of virtual assistants lies in their ability to predict your behaviour through what they capture, and create opportunities for transactions. So much so, that even their creators are not quite sure of their capabilities, or how they will reach their goal. Like HAL, these machines process incredible amounts of data. It might not seem that way because virtual assistants wear the halo of trust earned by the other services they are known for – Google's search is unparalleled and Amazon's retail experience leads the global marketplace. Consumers may be more educated about their online privacy these days, yet the consequences of the virtual world intruding into the physical hasn't properly permeated public consciousness.Īllowing a machine to record you 24/7 in exchange for convenience is a high price to pay. Likewise, although it is clear that the function of modern virtual assistants are driven by profit, it isn't obvious to the average consumer exactly how their presence is being monetised. Or that HAL's loyalty is to Mission Control and, beyond that, his programming. It doesn't occur to them that the people who designed HAL might not have had the crew's best interests at heart. The crew trust HAL, eschewing privacy for the sake of his aid in controlling the whole ship. But with cognitive capabilities well beyond those of his human companions, HAL is omnipresent – and embedded in the technology keeping the crew alive. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is introduced to the crew of a spaceship as one of them. The film illustrates the technological ecosystem companies are really competing to own – one where we trade in our privacy for small conveniences. While tech companies push virtual assistants as integral to a better, easier life, 2001: A Space Odyssey asks: at what cost? HAL presents us something more sinister, but perhaps more realistic. Or will she?Īmazon Alexa, Samsung Bixby, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, IBM Watson and other virtual assistants are advertised as a cross between your friend, your servant, your helpful companion and sidekick. After all, Alexa may shut your lights off, but she won't turn against you and wreak havoc on your life.

There’s no price or release date for the replica yet–we only know that the device is custom made and limited to 2001 units, so expect it to be expensive.We should probably be thankful for that.

I want the same bone-chilling voice to respond whether I’m asking for the space pod’s lock to be opened or ordering a bottle of Tide. Still, that’s a major letdown for me (said the spoiled nerd who discovered that he can own HAL 9000 two minutes ago). But for the regular interactions, you’ll need to talk to Alexa, who, to be fair, has her own creepy issues. If you throw it a line of dialog, it replies with the voice of Douglas Rain, the actor who dubbed HAL 9000 in the movie. The replica is definitely not perfect, or even practical. You can address it as both HAL and Alexa, but with quite different results. In a teaser video from the company below, you can see how this version of the evil brain onboard the spaceship Discover interacts with users. The Amazon tablet also serves as a side display that reproduces the faux computer interface graphics from the movie. Consumer Products, uses a Fire HD tablet to do anything that Alexa can do. The computer, which is fully licensed by Warner Bros.

Amazon echo hal 9000