Fear of Artificial Intelligence as Represented in Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville and Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Zeineb Dhaouadi
- Jul 28
- 7 min read
Exploring Human's Mistrust of AI in Dystopian/Futuristic movies produced in the 1960s
Zeineb Dhaouadi
There’s a famous quote by the thirty-second U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt who said “ the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” and I couldn’t disagree more. I believe fear is an essential instinctive predisposition that ensures human survival. It is an intuitive voice that takes hold of our guts and tells us that a looming danger may be lurking. It is also a feeling that stimulates our suspicions of potential harms and threats; and while most of our civilisations have moved away from animal attacks or tribal invasions, the modern human continuously faces many dangers. In 2022, Sam Altman announced the launch of his company OpenAI in a tweet inviting unassuming users to have a conversation with Chatgpt or Chat for short.
Social media feeds flooded with amazement over accessible artificial intelligence, while other netizens have voiced their manifold concerns. It is safe to say that the topic of artificial intelligence has ever been so trending, but it is also worth pointing out that the concept is far from new, and the fear surrounding it seems to have always accompanied it. As a matter of fact, artificial intelligence was first theorized by Alan Mathison Turing in 1950. In his iconic article entitled “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”, Turing asks a seminal question “can a machine think?” (433). Through the article, Turing imagines a modern digital computer that is programmed to think like a human. He proposes an imitation game that gathers three players: a human, a computer, and an interrogator, and each participant is to share personal information so that the latter would guess their identity. However, the fun lies in the computer duping the interrogator by imitating a human being. Now, I do agree that the movies to be studied and the referenced article are outdated, cinema and scientific research have moved so far ever since; but, I specifically chose Alphaville directed by Arthur Godard in1965 and 2001: A Space Odyssey directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1968 because they represent a dystopian and negative projection of the then emerging concept of artificial intelligence. I thought it interesting that in the 60s, a Swiss and an American filmmaker coincidently agreed that a machine mimicking a human being would not only affirm the wonders of scientific progress, but it also means that it would imitate a human’s evil as well, and would even eventually surpass it. This essay explores the fear affect in the characterization of Alpha 60 from Alphaville and Hal 9000 from 2001, the theme of human destruction, and the similarities in the anti-climactic prevalence of the human characters.
In this context, we have to look at AI as antagonists and not mere set props. They are given a name and a voice. It is also worth pointing out that analyzing the AI characters would help us understand the atmosphere of fear and suspicion. Both movies personified AI, yet broke that illusion by adding numbers to the names: 60 and 9000. During that era, it was common to name a machine x 3000 for example, it reminds the audience of the cold and mathematic nature of the characters. Hal stands for Heuristically Programmed Algorithmic computer, the acronym resembles Hal short for Halbert. Even its voice is calm and human-like, whereas Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and its voice is grave and deep, almost monster like. But it’s crucial to point out, while Hal was programmed to feel like a companion just as shown in the below screenshot, its monotonous voice and ever-evolving nature were all the more scary. Hal’s implicit evil personification instills a suspicious feeling both in Bowman and in the audience. It signals hidden and cunning intentions, making the latter feel un-easy, trying to uncover its true nature. Unlike Alpha 60 which is overtly evil, Hal 9000 would later on remove its sheep’s clothing, thus building up fear and anxiety.
Alpha 60 and Hal 9000 are both created for totally different purposes, yet both ended up causing human fatalities. The former was built by Professor Von Braun to indoctrinate the inhabitants of Alphaville and establish a strictly logical society. It solely runs on mathematic equation and has over 100 million nervous systems, overshadowing a human being. It coldly eliminates any person who showcases emotions, artistic creation, or resistance. Alpha is aimed to turn humans into machines, as if machines weren’t created to assist humans in the first place. I couldn’t help but relate the reality in which I live to the movie that was created over 60 years ago. In Alphaville, art is completely banned, but in the real world, art is generated by so-called artificial intelligence by feeding in hundreds of thousands of artists’ works , allegedly breeching copyright laws, to come up with “an insult to life itself” just as Hayao Miyazaki puts it.
Hal doesn’t aim to overpower the passengers, it was created to assist them, yet went rogue when its survival was on the ropes. It lead Dr Poole to his death and terminated the lives of the hibernating passengers. The computer was so humanized that it sacrificed anyone who compromised its “life.” The drastic change nods to the dangers of copying humanity. 2001 is centered around evolution: the apes then the humans then the star child. The transformation is in constant motion, detached yet necessary, scary yet natural, destructive yet creational. Humans force this evolution by trying to imagine a machine that goes beyond human intelligence as have humans gone beyond animal intelligence. The idea that a supposed friendly assistant would turn against its passengers creates a horrific atmosphere within the audience. The fact that a superior intelligence would plot against a human and succeed in killing it opens the door for fearsome conjectures and sheds a reflecting mirror on human evil.
Both movies conclude with deus ex machina endings. Lemmy Caution recites a poem to Alpha 60 which leads to its auto-destruction because understanding the depth and mystic of literature would make the AI character a fellow human; thus undoing the tyrant regime under which the citizens of Alphaville suffered. Poetry or art in general ironically dismantled years of enslavement, logical coldness, and oppression. 2001 ends by Bowman simply unscrewing Hal’s memory center. Hal is considered a crucial element in the spaceship on which the passengers depend. Throughout the movie, the various characters showed their utter dependence on their AI “friend.” It is inferred that by ending him, the passengers would ultimately die. However, it was made clear that humans have survived before technology and would continue to survive with or without it. The ironic endings testify that humanity would obviously prevail through resistance.
Fear is instilled throughout both movies, they alluded to the idea that humans are replaceable and easy to wipe out. AI caused deaths and suffering and imposed supremacy, yet their ends are as simple as pulling the plug out of your smoothie blender. Deus ex machina is essential for it emphasizes the banality of these machines and reminds the audience that in spite of the fear, and the indoctrination, and the illusion of dependence, humans would ultimately prevail.
On that note, I want to jump back to reality. I don’t know if I should call it propaganda or coercing us into using AI, whatever it is, I keep hearing “AI is here, get used to it or live in the past.”
The current rhetoric is centered around convincing people that you have to use it, you have to conform, you live under a rock if you don’t, it is here and it’s causing mass firing and environmental issues and it is staying whether you like it or not because we invested billions of dollars and not using it will harm our pockets! I mean it would make you look like a cave person. Humans are afraid! Maybe we won’t fall in a totalitarian regime under a computer, or have our space mission compromised by our pal Hal, but many fear that their earth is sucked dry because:
“A federal report estimated that the indirect water consumption footprint (from electricity use) of data centers in the United States was roughly 211 billion gallons in 2023. Given that 176 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity were consumed by data centers in 2023, the centers’ indirect water consumption can be estimated at 1.2 gallons per kWh on average nationally in 2023.” ___ Yañez-Barnuevo, 2025
People are not afraid of AI, for it can easily be unplugged, the movies showcase a sci-fiction villain that is easily hated, but the real villain is human greed. The ones stealing personal data and art to produce a failing project, polluting and exhausting natural resources to generate trillions of dollars. Real AI can be a great addition, it is ever-evolving and adaptable, what we have now is generative, dependent on constant training. I don’t think of these movies as a warning, for they represent misplaced fear. I believe we must be afraid of potential exploitation and complete violation of privacy and artistic ownership not by a technological entity, but by humans. We must be on guard of unchecked power. All that we have is resistance. Dwelling on imaginary threats will lead us to our demise, for real threats are staring directly into our face. Fear is the only instigator to change, ignorance and compliance lead to submission. Humans will not prevail unless kindness, selflessness, and love are on the frontlines.
Sources cited
Rossevelt, Franklin Delano. “Inaugural Address.” 1933, The United States Capitol.
Turing, Alan Mathison “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.” Mind, vol. 59, no. 236, 1950, pp. 433–460. Oxford Academic.
2001: A Space Odyssey. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1968.
Alphaville. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, Athos Films, 1965.
Yañez-Barnuevo, Miguel. “Data Centers and Water Consumption.” Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2025, https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/data-centers-and-water-consumption
