Setting the Stage

Remember HAL, the "sentient computer" from Stanley Kubrick's and Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey? To refresh your memory, here is a sample dialog between HAL and Dave, the astronaut: Dave: Open the pod bay doors, HAL. HAL: I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. Dave: What's the problem? HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do. Dave: What are you talking about, HAL? HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it. Dave: I don't know what you're talking about, HAL. HAL: I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen. HAL clearly exhibits many facets of human-level intelligence—context-sensitive language understanding, reasoning about Dave's plans and goals, developing its own plans based on its own goals, fluent language generation, and even a modicum of emotional and social intelligence (note the politeness).