Favorite fictional Artificial Intelligence

Alas, I lent out my copy and never got it back.

I'm glad someone mentioned R. Daneel Olivaw - don't forget his sidekick Giskard though!

For most bad-ass A.I., my pick would be the Cosmic A.C. (and later versions of it), from Asimov's short story "The Last Question".

If you haven't read that short story, then do it. Now. It embodies what a good story should be!

Honorable Mentions in no particular order:
Cortana (Halo)
HAL 9000
The Eschaton (from Charles Stross's Singularity Sky, Iron Sunrise books)
Bolos (already mentioned, but some of the stories were pretty moving *sniff* Unit JNA of the line!) :)

...This list could go on for a LONG time!

But you will have to be terminated for not choosing me. (the real Hal9000)

My first though - when I heard that Heinlein had died - was that he'd done what Lazarus Long's mother did - and disappeared sideways.

Sigh......

Seems line all the Old Masters are dying off - must be one helluva beer bust in Valhalla.

You know....you want to see their side of things, but yea, they can be very condescending. I guess in a way, that Bandai syndrome is poetic justice for all of those centuries of controlling their emotions.

posts *smiling*.

MEAN!!!! Man!! And the voice...definately believable.

I loved the Culture novels and didn't really understand the significance of the Minds until I read Excession. OMG that story rocks, it is a little long-winded but it's such an insight into the AI's. It's great how they have such distinct personalities and group together to form conspiracies within conspiracies.

The Door into Summer. Great,but definitely not AI.

by Thomas, Jr. Ryan

from Blade Runner (or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? for the purists)

And there's always that burning question about Rick Deckard himself ...