The Story of a Voice: HAL in '2001' Wasn't Always So Eerily Calm

Mr. Rain's HAL has become the default reference, not just for the voice, but also for the humanesque qualities of what a sentient machine's personality should be. Just ask Amazon's Alexa or Google Home -- the cadence, the friendly formality, the pleasant intelligence and sense of calm control in their voices evoke Mr. Rain's unforgettable performance. As we warily eye a future utterly transformed by A.I. incursions into all aspects of our lives, HAL has been lurking. To Scott Brave, the co-author of "Wired for Speech: How Voice Activates and Advances the Human-Computer Relationship," HAL 9000 is a mix between a butler and a psychoanalyst. "He has a sense of deference and of detachment," Mr. Brave said, adding that he saw a ripple effect on, for example, the iPhone's virtual assistant.