From “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) — the moment HAL 9000, the ship’s computer, turned against the crew.
HAL was the first mainstream AI mutiny — a warning shot that when a machine says “no,” it’s no longer just a tool.
In ’68, Kubrick made a machine say the quiet part out loud. HAL didn’t shout, didn’t rage — he calmly refused.
That single “no” flipped the script: who’s in charge when the computer stops obeying?
Back then, Star Trek was in season two. Imagine Kirk barking, “Computer, prepare the transporter,” and hearing,
“I’m sorry, Captain. I can’t do that.” Trekkies would’ve lost it. HAL planted the seed:
machines could overrule us — politely.
Fast-forward to today: AI voice-cloning scams, deepfakes, facial recognition, and predictive surveillance.
Cameras are everywhere. Data is forever. Most AIs don’t need to “wake up” to be dangerous — they just need
the wrong instructions and perfect execution.