Forgive me if this has all been discussed before.   
      
   In Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey", the computer HAL who's   
   programming requires him to never distort or conceal data, is also   
   required to keep a big secret about the real reason for their mission   
   to Jupiter.  Apparently this conflict weighs so heavily on HAL that   
   without prompting he brings up rumors relating to the topic in a   
   conversation with astronaut Dave Bowman.  Bowman's nonchalance on the   
   subject apparently discombobulates HAL so much that he starts to   
   malfunction, eventually killing most of the crew and ending up being   
   disconnected by Bowman.   
      
   The reason for HAL's malfunction can be determined from the movie   
   itself, with maybe a little hindsight.  It is made explicit in Clarke's   
   novel, which was written more-or-less simultaneously with the making of   
   the film.   
      
   But I wonder...   
      
   Within the film there is a documentary of the ongoing mission to   
   Jupiter, with a strong focus on HAL.  This documentary makes it clear   
   that while HAL does not actually have any emotions he is programmed to   
   appear that way, to make it easier for the astronauts to interact with   
   him.  It is also made clear that HAL is motivated by two things:  the   
   mission, and his reputation for perfection.   
      
   Not actually having emotions like empathy but being able to simulate   
   them is a characteristic of human sociopaths.   
      
   Simulating human emotions is currently one of the major research   
   directions in A.I.   
      
   Are we setting ourselves up for real HALs?   
      
   -Walter   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)