Computers that understand and speak human language have been featured in movies and television shows since the 1960s. What was once considered completely unrealistic, today seems like a real possibility in the not-too-distant future.
2001: A Space Odyssey
In the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, an American spaceship is on a mission to Jupiter. On the ship, a HAL 9000 computer runs most of the operations. Hal, as the computer is referred to, does not only understand and speak human language, but also can read lips and express emotions. When faced with being disconnected, Hal reacts by killing most of the crew.
Star Wars
All six of the Star Wars films featured two characters named C-3PO and R2-D2, who were essentially computers. At one point, C-3PO says that he is fluent in more than six million forms of communication; he can understand and speak every language used in the Star Wars world. R2-D2 also understands human language, and can respond to instructions and questions. Unlike C-3PO, R2-D2 does not speak in human language, but rather in blips and beeps.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
In Star Trek: The Next Generation, the onboard computer system controls the entire ship. It can understand spoken questions, recognize individual voices and respond in human language. It does, however, function in a more realistic manner than some film-based computers. For example, it asks for clarification when questions are asked or comments made in a less understandable manner.
I, Robot
In the 2004 film I, Robot, the future world is full of robots that understand and process language at a high level. There is also a mainframe computer, named V.I.K.I., which controls all the NS-5 robots. This mainframe also speaks and understands human language.
WALL-E
In the 2008 film WALL-E, humans are living in a spaceship because Earth had become uninhabitable many years before. The autopilot of the ship, Auto, is a computer system that controls all of the operations. When the captain of the ship discovers that Earth could sustain life again, Auto tries to prevent them from returning to Earth.