I first become aware of A.I. in 1968, when I saw a movie that affected me deeply, 2001: A Space Odyssey, by the director Stanley Kubrick. I loved science-fiction movies, but this one had a special significance. As a person with autism, I'm more rational and fact-based than emotional and feeling-based, and my speech has been described as monotone or unmodulated. In high school, some of the kids called me "robot" and "tape recorder." That's part of why I related to HAL, the sentient computer who, with his steady voice and hyper-logic, helps the astronauts with their mission (until he doesn't).

In 50 years, scientists will fully understand how non-coding DNA and other mechanisms control the expression of the coding DNA. This will enable them to program in DNA code, making it possible to create any form of life that they wanted. This technology could be used for either great, good, or evil. It is likely that artificial intelligence and machine learning will be used to learn all the secrets of creating life. I think back to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.