After all, at its best, the fantasy science fiction franchise Star Trek, which takes great liberties with the laws of physics, aims for resonant philosophical themes just as high-minded as 2001: A Space Odyssey's, and realistic science fiction like Ad Astra was a slog that failed to connect its ambitious premise with a cohesive plot. One shouldn’t assume that there is more prestige in realistic science fiction than in fantasy. Broadly speaking, the genre has bifurcated into two general categories: realistic science fiction and fantasy science fiction. Since 19: A Space Odyssey’s release, there has been an explosion of science fiction on film. ![]() And considering that most Americans are walking around with a type of AI in their pockets - though not self-aware, of course - that 2001: A Space Odyssey predicted the ubiquity of artificial intelligence adds to the film’s prescient brilliance. Though films and television had depicted humanoid robots, including the one in Metropolis, consciousness in a disembodied computer was untrod territory in film. ![]() The first rudimentary AI was developed in 1955, so in 1968 the concept of AI was so new and cutting edge. ![]() It is impossible to understate how forward-thinking this is. HAL demonstrates feelings of self-righteousness when his functionality is questioned, personal agency when conspiring against the crew members, and pain and fear when Dave is shutting him down – or is that all just part of his programming? The singularity, or artificial intelligence’s self-awareness, has been a frequent subject of science fiction films, including Ex Machina, AI: Artificial Intelligence, and even The Terminator series, but it was first explored in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The second deeply philosophical question explored in the film is what makes humans human? Through HAL 9000’s self-awareness, the film wonders where the line of personhood is drawn.
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