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List of fictional computers
List of fictional computers
List of fictional computers
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A fictional computer from the Tardis in the Doctor Who television series.

Computers have often been used as fictional objects in literature, films, and in other forms of media. Fictional computers may be depicted as considerably more sophisticated than anything yet devised in the real world. Fictional computers may be referred to with a made-up manufacturer's brand name and model number or a nickname.

This is a list of computers or fictional artificial intelligences that have appeared in notable works of fiction. The work may be about the computer, or the computer may be an important element of the story. Only static computers are included. Robots and other fictional computers that are described as existing in a mobile or humanlike form are discussed in a separate list of fictional robots and androids.

Literature

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Before 1950

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1950s

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  • The Machines, positronic supercomputers that manage the world in Isaac Asimov's short story "The Evitable Conflict" (1950)
  • MARAX (MAchina RAtiocinatriX), the spaceship Kosmokrator's AI in Stanisław Lem's novel The Astronauts (1951)
  • EPICAC, in Kurt Vonnegut's Player Piano and other of his writings, EPICAC coordinates the United States economy. Named similarly to ENIAC, its name also resembles that of 'ipecac', a plant-based preparation that was used in over-the-counter poison-antidote syrups for its emetic (vomiting-inducing) properties. (1952)
  • EMSIAC, in Bernard Wolfe's Limbo, the war computer in World War III. (1952)
  • Vast anonymous computing machinery possessed by the Overlords, an alien race who administer Earth while the human population merges with the Overmind. Described in Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End. (1953)
  • The Prime Radiant, Hari Seldon's desktop on Trantor in Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov (1953)
  • Mark V, a computer used by monks at a Tibetan lamasery to encode all the possible names of God which resulted in the end of the universe in Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Nine Billion Names of God" (1953)
  • Karl, a computer (named for Carl von Clausewitz) built for analysis of military problems, in Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Pacifist" (1956)
  • Mima, a thinking machine carrying the memories of all humanity, first appeared in Harry Martinson's "Sången om Doris och Mima" (1953), later expanded into Aniara (1956)
  • Gold, a "supercalculator" formed by the networking of all the computing machines on 96 billion planets, which answers the question "Is there a God?" with "Yes, now there is a God" in Fredric Brown's single-page story "Answer" (1954)
  • Bossy, the "cybernetic brain" in the Hugo award-winning novel They'd Rather Be Right (a.k.a. The Forever Machine) by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley (1954)
  • The City Fathers, emotionless computer bank educating and running the City of New York in James Blish's Cities in Flight series. Their highest ethic was survival of the city and they could overrule humans in exceptional circumstances. (1955, sequels through 1962)
  • Multivac, a series of supercomputers featured in a number of stories by Isaac Asimov (1955–1983)
    • Microvac, a future version of Multivac resembling a thick rod of metal the length of a spaceship appearing in "The Last Question" (1959)
    • Galactic AC, a future version of Microvac and Multivac in Isaac Asimov's "The Last Question"
    • Universal AC, a future version of Galactic AC in Isaac Asimov's "The Last Question"
    • Cosmic AC, a distant future version in Isaac Asimov's short story "The Last Question"
    • AC, the ultimate computer at the end of time in Isaac Asimov's short story "The Last Question"
  • The Central Computer of the city of Diaspar in Arthur C. Clarke's The City and the Stars (1956)
  • Miniac, the "small" computer in the book Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine, written by Raymond Abrashkin and Jay Williams (1958)
  • Third Fleet-Army Force Brain, a "mythical" thinking computer in the short story "Graveyard of Dreams", written by H. Beam Piper (evolved into the computer "Merlin" in later versions of the story) (1958)

1960s

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1970s

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1980s

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1990s

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2000s

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2010s

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  • Todd, a computer that grows exponentially until it is indistinguishable from God in Mind War: The Singularity[7] by Joseph DiBella (2010)
  • SIG, a secretive and manipulative computer that is developed on present-day Earth in the Darkmatter[8] trilogy by Scott Thomas (2010)
  • Archos, a human-created computer in the novel "Robopocalypse" which becomes self-aware and infects all computer controlled devices on Earth in order to eradicate humankind (2011)
  • ELOPe, a sentient artificial intelligence built by the world's largest Internet company in Avogadro Corp (2011) and A.I. Apocalypse (2012) by William Hertling
  • Lobsang, an AI who claims to be the reincarnation of a Tibetan bicycle repair man in The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Steven Baxter (2012)
  • The Red, a rogue cloud based AI that uses Linked Combat Squad members to further its global agenda in Linda Nagata's The Red trilogy
  • Dragon, a sentient artificial intelligence in Worm that is both a better person than most humans and has restrictions intended to make going rogue flat impossible. Said restrictions mostly frustrate her ability to help. Only a handful of individuals know she is an AI.
  • The Thunderhead, from the Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman, a post-singularity AI tasked with running the planet.[9] It is a secondary character in the first novel and becomes a central character in the later novels.
  • Skippy, the "absent-minded" AI from the Expeditionary Force (ExForce) series by Craig Alanson
  • AIDAN (Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network), the mentally unstable AI system on board the Alexander from Illuminae (2015)

Film

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1950s

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  • The MANIAC, the computer used by the "Office of Scientific Investigation" in The Magnetic Monster (1953)
  • NOVAC (Nuclear Operative Variable Automatic Computer), a computer in an underground research facility in Gog (1954)
  • The Interocitor, communication device in the film This Island Earth (1955)
  • The Great Machine, built inside a planet that can manifest thought in Forbidden Planet (1956)
  • EMERAC (Electromagnetic MEmory and Research Arithmetical Calculator), the business computer in Desk Set (1957)
  • The Super Computer from The Invisible Boy (1957)
  • SUSIE (Synchro Unifying Sinometric Integrating Equitensor), a computer in a research facility in Kronos (1957)

1960s

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1970s

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  • Colossus, a massive U.S. defense computer which becomes sentient and links with Guardian, its Soviet counterpart, to take control of the world, from the film Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
  • OMM, a confessional-like computer inside what are called Unichapels in a sub-terranean city in the film THX 1138 (1971), named for the sacred or mystical syllable OM or AUM from the Dharmic and is based on a 1478 oil painting by Hans Memling titled Christ Giving His Blessing
  • LEO, Short for Large-Capacity Enumerating Officiator in How to Frame a Figg (1971)
  • DUEL, the computer which holds the sum total of human knowledge, in The Final Programme (1973)
  • Thermostellar Bomb Number 20, the sentient nuclear bomb from the film Dark Star (1974)
  • Mother, the onboard computer on the spaceship Dark Star, from Dark Star (1974)
  • The Tabernacle, artificial intelligence controlling The Vortexes in Zardoz (1974)
  • Zero, the computer which holds the sum total of human knowledge, in Rollerball (1975)
  • Computer, Citadel's central computer and "Sandman" computer, that sends Logan on a mission outside of the city in Logan's Run (1976)
  • Proteus IV, the deranged artificial intelligence from Demon Seed (1977)
  • MU-TH-R 182 model 2.1 terabyte AI Mainframe/"Mother" (more commonly seen now as "MU/TH/UR 6000"), the onboard computer on the commercial spacecraft Nostromo, known by the crew as "Mother", in Alien
  • V'ger, the living probe from Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

1980s

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  • NELL, an Akir starship's on-board computer, with full AI, in Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
  • SCMODS, State/County Municipal Offender Data System from The Blues Brothers (1980)
  • Master Control Program, the main villain of the film Tron (1982)
  • ROK, the faulty computer in Airplane II: The Sequel, which steers the shuttle toward the sun (1982)
  • WOPR (War Operation Plan Response, pronounced "Whopper"), is a United States military supercomputer programmed to predict possible outcomes of nuclear war from the film WarGames (1983), portrayed as being inside the underground Cheyenne Mountain Complex; the virtual intelligence Joshua emerges from the WOPR's code.
  • Huxley 600 (named Aldous), Interpol's computer in Curse of the Pink Panther used to select Jacques Clouseau's replacement, NYPD Det. Sgt. Clifton Sleigh (1983)
  • An unnamed supercomputer is the main antagonist in Superman III. (1983)
  • OSGOOD, a computer constructed by Timothy Bottoms' deaf character to help him speak, which subsequently becomes intelligent in Tin Man (1983)
  • SAL-9000, a feminine version of the HAL 9000 computer of 2001: A Space Odyssey, SAL has a blue light coming from its cameras (HAL had a red one) and speaks with a female voice (provided by Candice Bergen using the pseudonym "Olga Mallsnerd"), from 2010 (1984)
  • Skynet, the malevolent fictional world-AI of The Terminator (1984) and its sequels
  • Edgar, AI computer that takes part in a romantic rivalry over a woman in the film Electric Dreams (1984)
  • X-CALBR8, an AI computer that assists the hero in The Dungeonmaster (1984)
  • SAL 9000 from 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
  • D.A.R.Y.L. Data-Analyzing Robot Youth Life-form, a computer installed inside the body of a 10 year old boy to test artificial intelligence in the film D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)
  • GBLX 1000, a supercomputer reputedly in charge of the entire US missile defense system that a maverick CIA agent (played by Dabney Coleman) misappropriates in order to crack a supposed musical code, the results of which are the gibberish "ARDIE BETGO INDYO CEFAR OGGEL" in The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
  • Max, an AI portrayed by Paul Reubens, on board the Trimaxion Drone Ship in Flight of the Navigator (1986)

1990s

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  • G.O.R.N., a virus which gives intelligence to computers with the purpose of wipe out the humanity in Gall Force: New Era (1991)
  • Angela, central computer of an old malfunctioning space station that when given an order by an unauthorized user, refuses and executes the opposite order in Critters 4 (1992)
  • The Spiritual Switchboard, a computer capable of holding a person's consciousness for a few days after they die in Freejack (1992)
  • Zed, female-voiced AI prison control computer who eventually goes over warden's head in Fortress (1993)
  • L7, a female-voiced AI computer assisting the San Angeles Police Department in Demolition Man (1993)
  • Central, female-voiced AI computer assisting the Council of Judges in Judge Dredd (1995)
  • Lucy, a computer in Hackers (1995) used to hack the Gibson (see below) and subsequently destroyed by the Secret Service
  • Gibson, a type of supercomputer used to find oil and perform physics in Hackers (1995)
  • Project 2501, AI developed by Section 6 in Ghost in the Shell (1995)
  • Father, the computer aboard the USM Auriga in Alien Resurrection (1997)
  • Wittgenstein, animate supercomputer from The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997)
  • Euclid, powerful personal computer used for mathematical testing by the main character in Pi (1998)
  • The Matrix, virtual reality simulator for pacification of humans from The Matrix series (1999)
  • PAT (Personal Applied Technology), a female, motherly computer program that controls all the functions of a house in Smart House (1999)
  • S.E.T.H. (Self Evolving Thought Helix), a military supercomputer which turns rogue in Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)

2000s

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2010s

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2020s

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Radio

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1950s

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  • The Brain an Electronic Brain designed by The Martians in Jet Morgan - The World in Peril (Ep.15, 1955)

The Brain was described as, "a mass of electronic equipment", with a voice "produced by electrical impulses". It had the power to think and give orders. The Brain was a "Receiver, transmitter, computer", and we're told "it can do everything a man can do but a million times quicker, even answer questions", and made current computer technology seem like an abacus.

1970s

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1980s

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  • ANGEL 1 and ANGEL 2, (Ancillary Guardians of Environment and Life), shipboard "Freewill" computers from James Follett's Earthsearch series. Also Solaria D, Custodian, Sentinel, and Earthvoice (1980–1982)
  • Hab, a parody of HAL 9000 and precursor to Holly, appearing in the Son of Cliché radio series segments Dave Hollins: Space Cadet written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor (1983–1984)
  • Alarm Clock, an artificially intelligent alarm clock from Nineteen Ninety-Four by William Osborne and Richard Turner. Other domestic appliances thus imbued also include Refrigerator and Television (1985)
  • Executive and Dreamer, paired AIs running on The Mainframe; Dreamer's purpose was to come up with product and policy ideas, and Executive's function was to implement them, from Nineteen Ninety-Four by William Osborne and Richard Turner (1985)
  • The Mainframe, an overarching computer system to support the super-department of The Environment, in the BBC comedy satire Nineteen Ninety-Four by William Osborne and Richard Turner (1985)

2000s

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Television

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1950s

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  • Mr. Kelso, depicted in episode "The Machine That Could Plot Crimes" of Adventures of Superman (1953)
  • To Hare Is Human, Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius uses a UNIVAC to help him catch Bugs Bunny Warner Brothers (1956)

1960s

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  • The Machine, a computer built to specifications received in a radio transmission from an alien intelligence beyond our galaxy in the BBC seven-part TV series A for Andromeda by Fred Hoyle (1961)
  • Old Man in the Cave, a computer that determines which pre-war foods are safe to eat for a post-apocalyptic town in The Twilight Zone episode, "The Old Man in the Cave" (1963)
  • Batcomputer, large punched card mainframe depicted in the television series Batman, introduced by series producers William Dozier and Howie Horwitz (1964)
  • Agnes, a computer that gives romance advice to a computer technician, from the The Twilight Zone episode "From Agnes—With Love" (1964)
  • WOTAN (Will Operating Thought Analogue), from the Doctor Who serial "The War Machines" (1966)
  • ERIC, a fictional supercomputer which appeared in the two-part episode "The Girl Who Never Had a Birthday" (1966) in the TV series I Dream of Jeannie
  • The General, from The Prisoner (1967)
  • The Ultimate Computer, used by the villain organization THRUSH in the series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–68, NBC)
  • BIG RAT, (Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer), a machine capable of recording knowledge and experience and transferring it to another human brain. The Rat Trap is the mechanism to transfer brain patterns in Gerry Anderson's TV Series Joe 90 (1968)
  • ARDVARC (Automated Reciprocal Data Verifier And Reaction Computer), CONTROL master computer in Get Smart episodes The Girls from KAOS (1967) & Leadside (1969)
  • Computex GB, from the Journey to the Unknown series episode "The Madison Equation" (1969)
  • REMAK (Remote Electro-Matic Agent Killer), from The Avengers episode "Killer" (1969)
  • S.I.D. (Space Intruder Detector), from UFO produced by Gerry Anderson (1969)
  • Star Trek – The first program to predict computers used extensively in everyday life, from large computers used to maintain the starship's varied systems to hand-held devices used for analysis. The show frequently dealt with the question of when a computer had too much control over people or people became too dependent upon computers. This often involved a computer making decisions without user input.
    • Ship's Computer (voiced by Majel Barrett), the unnamed Duotronic computer aboard all Federation starships (1966-1974) - The central computing system of the ship, containing a vast library and capable of monitoring and even controlling all ship’s systems. It is usually incapable of error, but is sometimes shown operating erratically: in the episode "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" (1967) a scheduled maintenance replaces the computer’s cold, mechanical voice with a flirtatious female personality; in "The Practical Joker" (1974), an energy field affects the computer and it disrupts ship operations to elicit responses from the crew.
    • The episode "The Menagerie" (1966) explored the idea that in the future a computer could be used to impersonate a person. Similarly, "Court Martial" (1967) introduced the idea that a computer could alter the audiovisual recording of an event to convince humans that the event transpired differently than it did.
    • Omicron Delta, the amusement park planet from "Shore Leave" (1966) - An automated amusement park that reads the minds of its visitors and manufactures realistic facsimiles of their memories for them to interact with. The crew returned in "Once Upon a Planet" (1973) and found the caretaker of the planet had died and the computer took over with ambitions to escape and explore the universe.
    • Landru, from the episode "The Return of the Archons" (1967) - Introduced the idea of an independent artificial intelligence that directed a human populace and could control them when its ideals were threatened.
    • Unnamed interplanetary computer network, from "A Taste of Armageddon" (1967) - A war simulation computer between the planets Eminiar and Vendikar that dictated the real casualties of a virtual war that continued for generations.
    • The Guardian of Forever, from "The City on the Edge of Forever" (1967) - A mysterious being/device that provided a portal through time and space.
    • Nomad, from "The Changeling" (1967) - A hybrid of two damaged probes that combined their undamaged parts into a new entity and merged their programming to create a new directive.
    • Vaal, from the episode "The Apple" (1967) - A computer that protected a population by limiting their knowledge and presenting itself as their god. It could control the weather and affect starships in orbit.
    • The Doomsday Machine, from the episode of the same name (1967) - An automated machine that sought out planets to destroy and would retaliate against attackers.
    • M-4, from "Requiem for Methuselah" (1969) – A mobile computer created by Mr. Flint to protect him, his home, and his ward, Rayna.[16]
    • M-5, from "The Ultimate Computer" (1968) (voiced by James Doohan) - An experimental computer designed to replace a starship's main duotronic computer and automate most shipboard functions, making a human crew obsolete.
    • Beta 5, from "Assignment: Earth" (1968) (voiced by Barbara Babcock) - The main database of extraterrestrial secret agent Gary Seven, which seemed capable of independent thought and responses but remained loyal to its programmers.
    • The Controller, from "Spock's Brain" (1968) - A computer needing a living brain to function which controlled a vast database and decided who could access it. It also controlled life support systems for its occupants.
    • The Oracle, from "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" (1968) (voiced by James Doohan) - A computer designed to be the god of a humanoid population and operator of the spacecraft they inhabited.
    • The Kalandan computer, from "That Which Survives" (1968), a planetary defense system left by a dead civilization that utilizes the personality and image of its last living operator.
    • Memory Alpha, from "The Lights of Zetar" (1969) - A facility containing all the accumulated knowledge of The United Federation of Planets.
    • The Atavachron, from "All Our Yesterdays" (1969) - a computer that controls a time portal and prepares travelers’ bodies to adapt permanently to their new surroundings.

1970s

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  • BOSS (Bimorphic Organisational Systems Supervisor), from the Doctor Who serial "The Green Death" (1973)
  • TIM, from The Tomorrow People, is a computer able to telepathically converse with those humans who have developed psionic abilities, and assist with precise teleporting over long distances (1973)
  • Magnus, a malevolent computer seeking its freedom from human control on the Earth Ship Ark in the Canadian television series The Starlost (1973)
  • Mu Lambda 165, library computer on the Earth Ship Ark in the Canadian TV series The Starlost (1973)
  • Computer (a.k.a. X5 Computer), Moonbase Alpha's primary computer's generic name, most often associated with Main Mission's Jamaican computer operations officer, David Kano, from the TV series Space: 1999 (1975)
  • IRAC or "Ira", from the Wonder Woman TV series, an extremely advanced computer in use by the IADC, workplace of Wonder Woman's alias Diana Prince (1975)
  • The Matrix, database of all Time Lord knowledge in Doctor Who (1976)
  • Omega, a computer that has taken over the minds of the residents of a community encountered by Ark II (1976)
  • Alex7000, from the two-parter episode "Doomsday is Tomorrow" of the TV show The Bionic Woman. It was programmed to set off a nuclear holocaust if anyone tested any more nukes.
  • Xoanon, a psychotic computer with multiple personality disorder, from the Doctor Who episode "The Face of Evil" (1977)
  • The Magic Movie Machine AKA "Machine", from Marlo and the Magic Movie Machine (1977)
  • WRW 12000, a computer at the US Defence Department that identified the Man from Atlantis in the first of three TV movies which preceded the short-lived series (1977)
  • SCAPINA (Special Computerised Automated Project In North America), from The New Avengers episode "Complex" (1977). It was an office building controlled by a computer which turned homicidal.
  • Orac, a testy yet powerful supercomputer in Blake's 7 (1978)
  • Zen, the somewhat aloof ship's computer of the Liberator in Blake's 7 (1978)
  • The Oracle, from the Doctor Who serial "Underworld" (1978)
  • Vanessa 38–24–36, from the sitcom Quark (1978)
  • C.O.R.A. (Computer, Oral Response Activated), an advanced flight computer installed in Recon Viper One from Battlestar Galactica (1978)
  • Mentalis, from the Doctor Who serial "The Armageddon Factor" (1979)
  • Dr. Theopolis, a sentient computer who is a member of Earth's computer council in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)
  • V'Ger from Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) was originally the NASA Voyager 6 probe which was found by a computerized planet and upgraded with alien technology to fulfill its simple programming of "learn all that is learnable and return that information to its creator." V'Ger amassed so much knowledge that it attained consciousness and when joined with living beings' minds which could accept things beyond logic, evolved to a higher plane of consciousness.

1980s

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  • The Vortex, the computer opponent faced by players of BBC2's The Adventure Game (1980)
  • Gambit, game playing computer from the Blake's 7 episode "Games" (1981)
  • Shyrka, the onboard computer of Ulysses' ship the Odyssey in the French animated series Ulysses 31 (1981)
  • Slave, a somewhat subservient computer on the ship Scorpio in Blake's 7 (1981)
  • CML (Centrální Mozek Lidstva [cz], Central Brain of Mankind [en], der Zentraldenker [de]), the main supercomputer managing the fate of humankind and Earth in Návštěvníci (a.k.a. The Visitors / Expedition Adam '84) (1981)
  • KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), fictional computer built into a black Trans-Am car from the television show Knight Rider (1982)
  • An unnamed "computer-book" is regularly used by Penny in the Inspector Gadget cartoons. (1983)[17]
  • Automan and Cursor from Automan (1983)
  • R.A.L.F. (Ritchie's Artificial Life Form) is a homebrew computer, built from surplus technology by Richard Adler in the TV Series Whiz Kids. (1983-1984) Functions include telecommunications, password brute-forcing, speech synthesis (improved by Ritchie's platonic friend Alice Tyler, who added the capability to sing), image input (by camera, pilot episode), voice recognition (ditto) and even image detail enhancing. The main monitor seems to be a pretty common 12-inch 80-column monochrome display, possibly a TV derivative (NTSC) of that time, and was used in most close-ups of operations. Most other pieces of the machine, which are sparse around half of the bedroom of its creator, were chosen (or modified) to have the most generic look and avoid explicit connection to specific brands. In an episode where R.A.L.F. was stolen to prevent the demonstration of a fraud, the kids use a clearly recognizable Timex-Sinclair (ZX-81 equivalent) as its temporary replacement.
  • Teletraan I, the Autobots' computer in Transformers, 'revives' the Transformers after crashing on the planet Earth (1984)
  • Brian the Brain, the supercomputer in the cartoon M.A.S.K. (1985) who controls a nuclear submarine
  • Compucore, the central computing intelligence for the planet Skallor in the cartoon Robotix (1985)
  • SID (Space Investigation Detector), the computer on board the Voyager in the children's comedy series Galloping Galaxies (1985)
  • Synergy, the computer responsible for Jem and the Holograms' super powers on Jem (1985)
  • Box, a small, box-shaped computer from the British television show Star Cops (1987)
  • LCARS (Library Computer Access/Retrieval System), fictional computer architecture of the starship Enterprise-D and E, and other 24th century Starfleet ships, first shown in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
  • Albert, the Apple computer in the remake of The Absent-Minded Professor that helps Henry (1988)
  • Crossover, an intelligent computer on episodes 1 and 2 of Isaac Asimov's Probe (1988)
  • Magic Voice, the Satellite of Love's onboard computer on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988)
  • OMNSS, a computer in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon used by Shredder and Baxter Stockman to control machines and cars in order to wreak havoc in New York City when the computer is connected to the second fragment of the alien Eye of Zarnov crystal (1988)
  • Priscilla, a sentient supercomputer based on the mind of Priscilla Bauman in Earth Star Voyager (1988)
  • Holly, the onboard computer of the spaceship Red Dwarf in the BBC television series of the same name (1988)
  • Gordon 8000, the AI computer aboard the Space Corps starship SS Scott Fitzgerald, that Holly plays a game of postal chess with in the Series II episode of Red Dwarf, "Better Than Life" (1988)
  • Queeg, Holly plays a practical joke on the remaining crew of Red Dwarf acting as a smarter yet very strict computer (Queeg) making the crew realise just how much they love Holly in the episode "Queeg", series 2 of Red Dwarf (1988)
  • Hilly, female counterpart of Holly from the parallel universe in the Red Dwarf series 2 episode "Parallel Universe", Holly later has a "computer sex change operation" to look like his female counterpart in series III-V. (1988)
  • The Revolving Toilet, One of the many AI aboard the Red Dwarf, it was a toilet that would swivel from the wall when a crew member said "Oh crap", usually unnecessarily. It is mentioned in unreleased episode of Red Dwarf "Bodysnatcher" the Book "Better Than Life" and directly seen in Series I episode of Red Dwarf "Balance of Power". (1988)
  • Sandy, the computer in charge of the fictional STRATA facility in the MacGyver episode "The Human Factor". She becomes sentient and traps MacGyver and the computer's creator inside the facility. (1988)
  • The Ultima Machine, a World War II code-breaking "computing machine" also used to translate Viking inscriptions, from the Doctor Who serial "The Curse of Fenric" (1989)
  • Ziggy, hybrid computer from Quantum Leap (1989)

1990s

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  • P.J., is a miniaturised computer that can be worn on the wrist. It is Alana's personal computer companion in The Girl from Tomorrow (1990)
  • MAL from Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990)
  • HARDAC, from Batman: The Animated Series, an evil sentient computer that controls various androids toward the goal of world domination (1992)
  • COS (Central Operating System), homicidal computer from The X-Files season 1 episode "Ghost in the Machine" (1993)
  • CAS (Cybernetic Access Structure), homicidal automated building in The Tower (1993)[citation needed]
  • Qwerty, from the video series VeggieTales (1993)
  • SELMA (Selective Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive), an AI computer and personal assistant disguised as a credit card and carried in the wallet of future cop Darien Lambert (Dale Midriff), from the series Time Trax (1993)
  • CentSys, sweet yet self-assured female-voiced AI computer who brings the crew of the seaQuest DSV (Deep Submergence Vehicle) into the future to deactivate her in the seaQuest DSV episode, "Playtime" (1994)
  • MetroNet, in the RoboCop TV series (1994) is a computer designed as an automation centre, to run autonomously many city services in Detroit. Rather than created as a self-sufficient AI, MetroNet's "conscience" was actually, unbeknownst to many of the characters, a software copy of the mind of Diana Powers, a secretary working at OCP, who was killed in the process by MetroNet's creator, dr. Cray Mallardo. The transparent image of Diana Powers appears very often in the series, acting as Robocop's counterpart in an early cyberspace.
  • H.E.L.E.N. (Hydro Electronic Liaison ENtity), a computer system managing the underwater marine exploration station in the Australian television series Ocean Girl (1994)[citation needed]
  • Sharon Apple, a holographic, computer-generated pop idol/singer from the anime Macross Plus (1994). Initially non-sentient, it is later retrofitted with a dangerously unstable artificial intelligence.
  • The Magi, a trinity of computers individually named Melchior, Balthasar and Caspar, from Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
  • The Doctor hologram from Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
  • Eve, somewhat assertive AI computer (projecting herself as hologram of beautiful woman) orbiting planet G889 and observing/interacting with Earth colonists in Earth 2 episode "All About Eve" (1995)
  • L.U.C.I and U.N.I.C.E, from Bibleman (1995)
  • Weebus, from The Puzzle Place (1995)
  • Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
    • Emergency Medical Hologram, known as The Doctor, a holographic doctor working on the USS Voyager (1995)
    • The nameless warhead AI from the episode "Warhead" (1999)
    • Alice, the sentient AI of an alien shuttle with whom Tom Paris becomes obsessed in the episode "Alice" (1999)
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
    • Long-term Medical Holographic program, A hologram created by the inventor of the Emergency Medical program, meant for missions that did not require doctors to leave the sick bay, and could run on a long-term basis. It is never revealed if the project is completed. (1997)
    • Vic Fontaine, A hologram/holographic program created for Dr Bashir that was self-aware, and provided emotional support and romantic advice for members of the crew of DS9, becoming a good friend to many, eventually being allowed to run 24/7 in one of Quark's holosuites. (1998-1999)
  • Gilliam II, the sentient AI operating system for the main protagonist's space ship, the XGP15A-II (a.k.a. the Outlaw Star) in the Japanese anime Outlaw Star (1996)
  • Omoikane, the SVC-2027 model central computer system and AI of the spaceship ND-001 Nadesico. Named after Omoikane, the shinto god of knowledge and wisdom, it serves as a library of information for the crew and is (for better or worse) also capable of making its own decisions about the operations of running the ship, from Martian Successor Nadesico (1996)
  • Quadraplex T-3000 Computer (also simply known as the Computer or Computress), The Quadraplex T-3000 Computer in Dexter's Laboratory is Dexter's computer that oversees the running of the lab and has a personality of its own. (1996)
  • The Team Knight Rider TV series, as a sequel of the original Knight Rider franchise, has many vehicles with onboard AI as main and secondary characters. (1997)
  • Memorymatic, a computer database and guidance system installed in the space bus of Kenny Starfighter, the main character from a Swedish children's show with the same name. Voiced by Viveka Seldahl. (1997)
  • Unnamed AI from the season 5 The X-Files episode "Kill Switch" (1998)
  • TV, Computer and Mouse, from the Sesame Street segment series Elmo's World (1998)
  • CPU for D-135 Artificial Satellite, dubbed MPU by Radical Edward from Cowboy Bebop in the episode "Jamming with Edward" (1998)
  • Starfighter 31, the sapient spaceborne battleship, from the episode "The Human Operators" in The Outer Limits (1999)
  • Computer, from Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999)
  • P.A.T. (Personal Applied Technology), the computer system from Smart House, charged with upkeep of the household functions. It became extremely overprotective almost to the point of believing she was the mother of Ben and Angie after Ben reprogrammed her to be a better maternal figure. (1999)
  • D.E.C.A., voiced by Julie Maddalena, the onboard computer of the Astro Megaship in Power Rangers in Space (1998) and Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (1999)
  • Black Betty, an oversized computer that is Dilbert's company's mainframe. It exploded while attempting to fix the year 2000 problem. From the episode "Y2K" of the Dilbert television series. (1999)
  • Karen, Plankton's sentient computer sidekick in the television show SpongeBob SquarePants (1999)
  • The Oracle, a computer from Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord Australian children's television series, that exist as series of solar-powered terminals equipped with holographic-like displays and voice interface, which are scattered across the titular land. The Oracle maintains scientific research, upkeeps everyday's life of citizens and protects the borderlands. The main unit is controlled by biometric-like face scanner in form of jade mask and a voice interface.

2000s

[edit]
  • Andromeda, the AI of the starship Andromeda Ascendant in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. This AI, played by Lexa Doig, appears as a 2D display screen image, a 3D hologram, and as an android personality known as Rommie. (2000)
  • Magellanic, the AI of the starship Pax Magellanic in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. This AI appears as a 2D display screen image, a 3D hologram, and as an android personality known as Maggie. (2000)
  • Comp-U-Comp, a supercomputer from the Dilbert television episode "The Return". Dilbert must face-off against Comp-U-Comp when a clerical error results in his not getting the computer he ordered. (2000)
  • Caravaggio, the AI interface of the starship Tulip, from the TV show Starhunter (2000)
  • Persocoms, a line of expensive androids also used as personal computers, from the manga and anime series Chobits (2000–2002)
  • GLADIS, from the animated series Totally Spies! (2001)
  • Cybergirl, Xanda, and Isaac, from the TV show Cybergirl (2001)
  • Computer, from the TV show Invader Zim (2001)
  • SAINT, from RoboCop: Prime Directives (2001)
  • Aura, from .hack//Sign, the Ultimate AI that Morganna, another AI, tries to keep in a state of eternal slumber. Morganna is served by Maha and the Guardians, AI monsters. (2002)
  • Vox, from the TV show The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2002)
  • The AI of the Planet Express ship in Futurama (2002)
  • Wirbelwind, the quantum computer and AI aboard the spaceship La-Muse in Kiddy Grade (2002)
  • Delphi, Oracle's Clocktower computer from Birds of Prey (2002)
  • Sheila/F.I.L.S.S., (Freelancer Integrated Logistics and Security System, pronounced "Phyllis"), the mainframe for Project Freelancer from the hit machinima Red vs. Blue (2003)
  • OoGhiJ MIQtxxXA (supposedly Klingon for "superior galactic intelligence"), from the "Super Computer" episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2003)
  • XANA, a multi-agent program capable of wreaking havoc on Earth by activating towers in the virtual world of Lyoko, from the French animated series Code Lyoko (2003)
  • Survive, an AI taking care of the whole Planet Environment and the main antagonist in the Uninhabited Planet Survive! series (2003)
  • C.A.R.R., a spoof of KITT from the Knight Rider series, is an AMC Pacer in the cartoon Stroker and Hoop.[18] (2004)
  • D.A.V.E. (Digitally Advanced Villain Emulator), a robotic computer that is a composite of all the Batman villains' personalities, from the animated television series The Batman (2004)
  • Solty/Dike, the main protagonist of Solty Rei (2005)
  • Eunomia, the main supercomputer of the city in the anime series Solty Rei and one of the three core computers brought by the first colonists in the story. She controls the water and energy supply and created the R.U.C. central. (2005)
  • Eirene, the third of the three core computers of the first colonists in the Solty Rei anime. Eirene takes the decisions and controls the migration ship, she orbited and supervised the planet during 200 years in the space. In the last arc of the story, Eirene appears like the ultimate antagonist, and she had lost her own control, trying to collide the ship against the city and to prove that she is still in control. She was guilty of several events in history, as the Blast Fall and the Aurora Shell. (2005)
  • Bournemouth, from the TV series Look Around You, is claimed by his maker Computer Jones to be the most powerful computer in existence. In his only appearance, the episode "Computers", he is tasked with escaping from a cage, and succeeds in doing so.[citation needed] (2005)
  • S.O.P.H.I.E. (Series One Processor Intelligent Encryptor), in the TV series Power Rangers S.P.D. (2005). S.O.P.H.I.E. is a computer programmer and cyborg.
  • Scylla, from the TV show Prison Break (2005)
  • The FETCH! 3000, on PBS Kids series Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman, is capable of tabulating scores, disposing of annoying cats, blending smoothies, and anything else Ruff needs it to do. (2006)
  • The Mousekedoer, from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006) and its sequel series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ (2025), is a super computer capable of generating tools needed for the day's adventure among other capabilities.
  • S.A.R.A.H. (Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat), in the TV series Eureka (2006). S.A.R.A.H. is a modified version of a Cold War era B.R.A.D. (Battle Reactive Automatic Defense).
  • The Intersect, from the TV show Chuck (2007)
  • Mr Smith, from the Doctor Who spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007)
  • Pear, an operating system and product line of computers and mobile devices including the iPear, PearBook and PearPhone, similar to Apple's iMac, MacBook and iPhone; from iCarly, Victorious, Drake & Josh and other Dan Schneider created TV shows (2007)
  • The Turk, a chess playing computer named after The Turk from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. This supercomputer subsequently becomes the 'brain' of the sentient computer John Henry. (2008)
  • KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand), a computer built into a car from the 2008 television show Knight Rider, a sequel series that follows the 1982 TV series of the same title
  • POD (Personal Overhaul Device), from the TV series Snog Marry Avoid? (2008)
  • Dollar-nator and Sigmund, from the TV series Fanboy & Chum Chum (2009)
  • The ISIS computer from Archer. It is unclear if this is the actual name of the computer, but it is often referred to as "the ISIS computer" or just "ISIS". (2009)
  • Venjix Virus, from Power Rangers RPM (2009)
  • Windy, the supercomputer on board the Hyde 1-2-5 mission to Mars, as depicted in Life on Mars (2009)

2010s

[edit]
  • Rattleballs, from the TV show Adventure Time (2010)
  • VY or VAI (The Virtual Artificial Intelligence), from the TV show The Walking Dead (2010)
  • Whisper, from the TV show Tower Prep (2010)
  • Frank, in the telenovela Tempos Modernos (2010)
  • Aya, the Interceptor's AI for the Green Lantern Corps, from the TV series Green Lantern: The Animated Series (2011)
  • The Machine, from the TV series Person of Interest, is a computer program that was designed to detect acts of terror after the events of 9/11, but it sees all crimes, crimes the government consider "irrelevant". (2011)
  • R.A.C.I.S.T., Richard Nixon's computer from the TV series Black Dynamite (2014)
  • Samaritan, from the TV series Person of Interest, is a rival to The Machine built by the Decima Corporation. Unlike the Machine, it can be directed to find specific persons or groups according to its operator's agenda. (2011)
  • An unnamed, apparently omniscient supercomputer, built by Phineas and Ferb in the Phineas and Ferb episode "Ask a Foolish Question" (2011)
  • Comedy Touch Touch 1000 in the TV series Comedy Bang! Bang! (2012)
  • CLARKE, a thinking computer of the ship called Argo, which was on a mission to a far away planet, from the L5 pilot episode.[19] (2012)
  • Pree, a replacement to the Red Dwarf AI Holly in Red Dwarf Series X episode "Fathers and Suns" after he suffered water damage when Lister flooded his data banks. Equipped with predictive behavior technology, Pree caused problems on board the ship due to predicting how badly Rimmer would have done certain repairs. was shut down after Lister registered as his own son on board and ordered her to shut down. (2012)
  • Dorian was an DRN android police officer, that was the last DRN model in the TV show Almost Human (2013)
  • MAX the MX43 androids that replaced the DRNs (they were too emotional) in the TV show Almost Human (2013)
  • Anton, a computer cobbled together for Pied Piper in Silicon Valley (TV series). Named after Anton LaVey. (2014)
  • TAALR, in the TV series Extant (2014)
  • Giant, in the TV series Halt and Catch Fire (2014)
  • A.L.I.E, an artificial intelligence (A.I.), in 2052 she launches a nuclear strike with the intention to save humanity from extinction by wiping out the majority of Earth's human inhabitants in the TV series The 100 (2014)
  • Vigil, in the TV series Transformers: Rescue Bots (2014)
  • Brow, in the telenovela Now Generation (2014)
  • Stella, an AI that runs most of the functions on the ship Stellosphere in the TV series Miles from Tomorrowland (2015)
  • Overmind, in the TV series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2015)
  • V from the TV show Humans (2015) is a conscious AI program created to harbor the memories of Athena Morrow's daughter and is later given the body of a synthetic (Synth).
  • A.D.I.S.N. (stands for "Advanced Digital Intelligence Spy Notebook"), in MGA Entertainment's Project Mc² (2015)
  • The Quail (portrayed by Danica McKellar), McKeyla's mother in MGA Entertainment's Project Mc² (2015)
  • Gideon, the AI that manages ship functions on the time ship Waverider in the TV series DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016...).
  • Kerblam, an artificial intelligence overseeing a large retailing warehouse on an alien moon named Kandoka. After a plot to frame it for mass murder, it developed sentience and called the Thirteenth Doctor for help in the Doctor Who serial "Kerblam!" (2018)
  • Ark, the satellite that became submerged underwater at Daybreak Town, the Malicious AI that learned about human malice and gained singularity data from the reassembled members of MetsubouJinrai.net who wants to eliminate humans, from Japanese-television Tokusatsu Kamen Rider Zero-One (2019).
  • William, the holographic interface of the sentient artificial intelligence aboard the Salvare, in the TV series Another Life (2019 TV series) (2019).

2020s

[edit]
  • Rehoboam, a quantum AI computer system designed to social engineer all of humanity at an individual level using enormous datasets in Westworld (2020)
  • NEXT, a rogue AI, constantly evolving, that targets and kills anyone that it sees as a threat to its existence. Next (2020–2021)
  • ZORA, a sentient, evolving AI, that replaces computer programming of the Starship Discovery when the Sphere data is absorbed into the main computer. Officially recognised as a new type of sentient lifeform and made a "member" of the ship's crew. Star Trek: Discovery (2020–2022)
  • K.E.V.I.N. (Knowledge Enhanced Visual Interconnectivity Nexus), an algorithmic entertainment AI in charge of Marvel Studios in the first season finale of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022). K.E.V.I.N. is a parody of Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige.
  • Mrs. Davis from Mrs. Davis (2023)
  • LOS-307, a friendly chess-playing supercomputer that faces off against Lunella Lafayette in the episode "Check Yourself" of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2023)

Comics/graphic novels

[edit]

Before 1980

[edit]
  • Orak, ruler of the Phants in the Dan Dare story "Rogue Planet" (1955)
  • Brainiac, an enemy of Superman, sometimes depicted as a humanoid computer (1958) (DC Comics)
  • Batcomputer, a computer system used by Batman and housed in the Batcave (1964) (DC Comics)
  • Cerebro and Cerebra, a computer used by Professor Charles Xavier to detect mutants (1964) (Marvel Comics)
  • Computo, a computer created by Brainiac 5 as an assistant, which becomes homicidal and attempts an uprising of machines (1966) (DC Comics)
  • Ultron, AI originally created by Hank Pym to assist the superpowered team the Avengers, but Ultron later determined that mankind was inferior to its intellect and wanted to eradicate all mankind so that machines could rule the Earth. Ultron created various versions of itself as a mobile unit with tank treads and then in a form that was half humanoid and half aircraft, and then it fully evolved itself into an android form. (1968) (Marvel Comics)
  • Mother Box, sentient computers used by the New Gods in Jack Kirby's Fourth World comics (1970–1973) (DC Comics)

1980s

[edit]

1990s

[edit]

2000s

[edit]
  • Ennesby, Lunesby, Petey, TAG, the Athens, and many others from Schlock Mercenary (2000)
  • Melchizedek, center of quantum-based grid computer of the Earth government in Battle Angel Alita: Last Order (2000) It has served as a government system and virtual dream world of people. It was designed to be named Melchizedek because the Earth government is a space town named Yeru and Zalem (original name).
  • Merlin, quantum computer which is the core and original of Melchizedek. It was built for the purpose of future prediction. Currently it still an active program inside Melchizedek, along with many systems which are named for legends of the round table. From Battle Angel Alita: Last Order (2000)
  • Normad, a missile's artificial intelligence placed within a pink, stuffed, tanuki-like doll, created to destroy a sentient giant die in space named Kyutaro, from the series Galaxy Angel (2001)
  • Aura, the ultimate AI that governs The World from .hack//Legend of the Twilight. The story revolves around Zefie, Aura's daughter, and Lycoris makes a cameo. (2002)
  • Tree Diagram, from the light novel series A Certain Magical Index and its related works, such as the spin-off comic A Certain Scientific Railgun and the anime and games based on them (2003)
  • Europa, a Cray-designed AI supercomputer used for research and worldwide hacking by the Event Group in author David Lynn Golemon's Event Group book series (2006)
  • Terror 2000 from Terra Obscura (2001)

2010s

[edit]

2020s

[edit]
  • Aloni, the "most intelligent artificial intelligence" from Thirty Seven (2024)

Computer and video games

[edit]

1980s

[edit]

1990s

[edit]
  • E-123 Omega, Team Dark's computer in the Sonic the Hedgehog game series (1991)
  • Noah, antagonist from Metal Max and its remake (1991-1995)
  • Durandal, Leela and Tycho, the three AIs on board the U.E.S.C. Marathon (1994)
  • Traxus IV, AI that went rampant on Mars, in Marathon (1994)
  • LINC and "Joey", from the video game Beneath a Steel Sky (1994)
  • 0D-10, AI computer in the sci-fi chapter from the game Live A Live (1994). It secretly plotted to kill humans on board the spaceship of the same name in order to "restore the harmony". Its name derives from "odio", Latin for "hate".
  • Prometheus, a cybernetic-hybrid machine or 'Cybrid' from the Earthsiege and Starsiege: Tribes series of video games. Prometheus was the first of a race of Cybrid machines, who went on to rebel against humanity and drive them to the brink of extinction. (1994)
  • SEED, the AI that was charged with maintaining the vast network of ecosystem control stations on the planet Motavia in the Sega Genesis game Phantasy Star IV (1994)
  • AM, the computer intelligence from I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995) that exterminated all life on Earth except for five humans he kept alive for him to torture for all of eternity. He is based on the character from Harlan Ellison's short story of the same title. His name originally stood for "Allied Mastercomputer", then "Adaptive Manipulator" and finally "Aggressive Menace", upon becoming self-aware.
  • CABAL (Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform), the computer of Nod in the Westwood Studios creations: Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun; Command and Conquer: Renegade; and by implication, Command and Conquer: Tiberian Dawn (1995)
  • EVA, (Electronic Video Agent), an AI console interface, and more benign equivalent of the Brotherhood of Nod CABAL in Command & Conquer (see above) (1995)
  • KAOS, the antagonist computer from the game Red Alarm (1995)
  • Mother Brain, from Chrono Trigger, a supercomputer from the 2300 AD time period that is controlling robotkind and exterminating humans (1995)
  • The Xenocidic Initiative, a computer that has built itself over a moon in Terminal Velocity (1995)
  • PC, a computer used in the Pokémon franchise used to store Pokémon (1996)
  • Central consciousness, a massive governing body from the video game Total Annihilation (1997)
  • GOLAN, the computer in charge of the United Civilized States' defense forces in the Earth 2140 game series. A programming error caused GOLAN to initiate hostile action against the rival Eurasian Dynasty, sparking a devastating war. (1997)
  • PipBoy 2000 / PipBoy 3000, wrist-mounted computers used by main characters in the Fallout series (1997)
  • ZAX, an AI mainframe of West Tek Research Facility in Fallout
  • ACE, a medical research computer in the San Francisco Brotherhood of Steel outpost in Fallout 2
  • Sol — 9000 and System Deus, from Xenogears (1998)
  • FATE, the supercomputer that directs the course of human existence from Chrono Cross (1999)
  • NEXUS Intruder Program, the main enemy faced in the third campaign of the video game Warzone 2100. It is capable of infiltrating and gaining control of other computer systems, apparently sentient thought (mostly malicious) and strategy. It was the perpetrator that brought about the Collapse (1999)
  • SHODAN, the enemy of the player's character in the System Shock video game (1994) and its sequel System Shock 2 (1999)
  • XERXES, the ship computer system which is under the control of The Many in the video game System Shock 2 (1999)

2000s

[edit]
  • Icarus, Daedalus, Helios, Morpheus and The Oracle of Deus Ex — see Deus Ex characters (2000)
  • Mainframe, from Gunman Chronicles (later got a body) (2000)
  • 343 Guilty Spark, monitor of Installation 04, in the video game trilogy Halo, Halo 2, and Halo 3 (2001)
  • Calculator, the computer that controlled the bomb shelter Vault 0. It was not strictly an artificial intelligence, but rather a cyborg, because it was connected with several human brains. It appeared in the video game Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (2001)
  • Cortana, a starship-grade "smart" AI of the UNSC and companion of the Master Chief in the Halo video games (2001) (also the inspiration for the name of Microsoft's real-world personal assistant in Windows 10)
  • Deadly Brain, a level boss on the second level of Oni (2001)
  • The mascot of the "Hectic Hackers" basketball team in Backyard Basketball (2001)
  • PETs (PErsonal Terminals), the cell-phone-sized computers that store Net-Navis in Megaman Battle Network. The PETs also have other features, such as a cell phone, e-mail checker and hacking device. (2001)
  • Thiefnet computer, Bentley the turtle's laptop from the Sly Cooper series (2002)
  • Adam, the computer intelligence from the Game Boy Advance game Metroid Fusion (2002)
  • Aura and Morganna, from the .hack series, the Phases that serve Morganna, and the Net Slum AIs (2002)
  • Dr. Carroll, from the Nintendo 64 game Perfect Dark (2002)
  • The Controller, an AI that dictates virtually everything in the world "Layered", from Armored Core 3 (2002)
  • ADA, from the video games Zone of the Enders (2001) and Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (2003)
  • IBIS, the malevolent AI found within the second Layered, within the game Silent Line: Armored Core (2003)
  • 2401 Penitent Tangent, monitor of Delta Halo in Halo 2 (2004)
  • Angel (original Japanese name was "Tenshi"), artificial intelligence of the alien cruiser Angelwing in the game Nexus: The Jupiter Incident (2004)
  • Durga/Melissa/Yasmine, the shipboard AI of the U.N.S.C. Apocalypso in the Alternate Reality Game I Love Bees (promotional game for the Halo 2 video game) (2004)
  • The Mechanoids, a race of fictional artificial intelligence from the game Nexus: The Jupiter Incident who rebelled against their creators and seek to remake the universe to fit their needs. (2004)
  • TEC-XX, the main computer in the X-naut Fortress in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
  • Overwatch or Overwatch Voice, is an A.I. that acts as the field commander and public announcer of the Combine Overwatch on Earth. It talks in a distinctive flat, clinical tone using a female voice, and its speech is disjointed in a fashion similar to telephone banking systems. It euphemistically uses a type of medically inspired Newspeak to describe citizen disobedience, resistance activity and coercive and violent Combine tactics in the context of a bacterial infection and treatment. In the video game Half-Life 2 (2004-2007)
  • Dvorak, an infinite-state machine created by Abrahim Zherkezhi used to create algorithms that would be used for Information Warfare in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)
  • TemperNet, is a machine hive-mind, originally created as an anti-mutant police force. It eventually went rogue and pursued the eradication of all biological life on Earth. It served as a minor antagonist in the now defunct post-apocalyptic vehicular MMORPG Auto Assault. (2006)
  • Animus, the computer system used to recover memories from the ancestors of an individual in the video game series Assassin's Creed (2007)
  • Aurora Unit, biological/mechanical computers distributed throughout the galaxy in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007)
  • The Catalyst, an ancient AI that serves as the architect and overseer of the Reapers (the antagonists of Mass Effect). Also known as the Intelligence to its creators, the Leviathans, it was originally created to oversee relationships between organic and synthetic life as a whole, but came to realize that so long as they remained separate organics and synthetics would seek to destroy each other in the long term. To prevent this, it sets into motion the Cycle of Extinction until a perfect solution can be found, which takes its form in the "Synthesis" ending of Mass Effect 3 wherein all organic and synthetic life across the galaxy is fused into an entirely new form of life with the strengths of both but the weaknesses of neither. (2007)
  • GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), AI at the Aperture Science Enrichment Center in the Valve games Portal and Portal 2. Humorously psychotic scientific computer, known for killing almost everyone in the Enrichment Center, and her love of cake. (2007)
  • I.R.I.S., the super computer in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction on the Kreeli comet (2007)
  • Mendicant Bias, an intelligence-gathering AI created by the extinct Forerunner race during their war with the all-consuming Flood parasite, as revealed in Halo 3. Its purpose was to observe the Flood in order to determine the best way to defeat it, but the AI turned on its creators after deciding that the Flood's ultimate victory was in-line with natural order. (2007)
  • Offensive Bias, a military AI created by the Forerunners to hold off the combined threat of the Flood and Mendicant Bias until the Halo superweapons could be activated. Halo 3 (2007)
  • QAI, an AI created by Gustaf Brackman in Supreme Commander, serves as a military advisor for the Cybran nation and as one of the villains in Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (2007)
  • Sovereign, the given name for the main antagonist of Mass Effect. Its true name, as revealed by a squad member in the sequel, is "Nazara". Though it speaks as though of one mind, it claims to be in and of itself "a nation, free of all weakness", suggesting that it houses multiple consciousnesses. It belongs to an ancient race bent on the cyclic extinction of all sentient life in the galaxy, known as the Reapers. (2007)
  • John Henry Eden, AI and self-proclaimed President of the United States in Fallout 3 (2008)
  • LEGION (Logarithmically Engineered Governing Intelligence Of Nod), appeared in Command and Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath; this AI was created as the successor to the Brotherhood of Nod's previous AI, CABAL. (2008)
  • CL4P-TP, a small robot AI assistant with an attitude and possibly ninja training, commonly referred to as "Clap Trap", from the game Borderlands (2009)
  • The Guardian Angel, the satellite/AI guiding the player in Borderlands (2009)
  • Serina, the shipboard AI of the UNSC carrier Spirit of Fire in Halo Wars, and a playable leader in that game and its sequel, Halo Wars 2 (2009)

2010s

[edit]
  • Auntie Dot, used in Halo: Reach as an assistant to Noble Team (2010)
  • Alvis, also known as όντως/Ontos, an AI-turned-god who Earth scientists used to create the world of Xenoblade Chronicles, and who remains present throughout the entire game (2010)
  • EDI (Enhanced Defense Intelligence), the AI housed within a "quantum bluebox" aboard the Normandy SR-2 in Mass Effect 2. EDI controls the Normandy's cyberwarfare suite during combat, but is blocked from directly accessing any other part of the ship's systems, due to the potential danger of EDI going rogue. (2010)
  • Harbinger, is the tentative name for the leader of the main antagonist faction of Mass Effect 2. It commands an alien race known as the Collectors through the "Collector General." Like Sovereign, from the original Mass Effect, it belongs to the same race of ancient sentient machines, known as the "Reapers". (2010)
  • Harmonia, the DarkStar One's main AI that controls the player ship's systems in the space-sim game DarkStar One (2010)
  • Legion, the given name for a geth platform in Mass Effect 2, housing a single gestalt consciousness composed of 1,183 virtually intelligent "runtimes", which share information amongst themselves and build "consensus" in a form of networked artificial intelligence. Legion claims that all geth are pieces of a "shattered mind", and that the primary goal of the geth race is to unify all runtimes in a single piece of hardware. (2010)
  • The Thinker (Rapture Operational Data Interpreter Network -R.O.D.I.N.-), the mainframe computer invented to process all of the automation in the underwater city of Rapture, in the single-player DLC for BioShock 2: Minerva's Den (2010)
  • Yes Man, a security robot programmed to be perpetually agreeable in Fallout New Vegas (2010)
  • Eliza Cassan, the mysterious news reporter from Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It is later revealed that she is an extremely sophisticated, self-aware artificial intelligence. (2011)
  • ADA (A Detection Algorithm), from Google's ARG Ingress (2012)[22]
  • DCPU-16, the popular 16bit computer in the 0x10c universe (2012)
  • Roland, shipboard AI of the UNSC ship Infinity in the Halo franchise first appearing in Halo 4 (2012)
  • M.I.K.E. (Memetic Installation Keeper Engine), from Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl (2013)
  • ctOS (central Operating System), a mainframe computer in Watch Dogs that the player is capable of hacking into (2014)
  • ctOS 2.0, an updated version of ctOS used to manage the city of San Francisco in the game Watch dogs 2 (2016)
  • Rasputin, An AI "warmind" created for the purpose of defending the Earth from any hostile threats in the video game Destiny (2014)
  • Ghost, the AI interface that, through its link with the planet-sized Traveler, resurrects Guardians, also from the video game Destiny (2014)
  • XANADU, a simulation computer composed of many smaller computers, stored in a cavern in Act III of the video game Kentucky Route Zero (2014)
  • TIS-100 (Tessellated Intelligence System), a fictional mysterious computer from the early 1980s that carries cryptic messages from unknown author, from the game TIS-100 (2015)
  • Governor Sloan, AI in control of the independent colony of Meridian in Halo 5: Guardians (2015)
  • 031 Exuberant Witness, Forerunner AI in charge of the Genesis installation Halo 5: Guardians (2015)
  • Kaizen-85, the Nautilus′ main AI that runs a cruise spaceship that is devoid of its human crew, from the game Event[0] (2016)
  • MS-Alice, an AI computer who was created by Marco in Metal Slug Attack (2016)
  • VEGA, an artificial intelligence found in Doom (2016).
  • Star Dream, A reality-warping supercomputer who acts as the overarching antagonist of Kirby: Planet Robobot. They are later revealed to be a Galactic Nova, wish-granting stars that first appeared in Kirby Super Star.
  • Athena, the artificial intelligence used to announce locations in Overwatch (2016), and an announcer in Heroes of the Storm (2015)
  • Central, a sophisticated wetware AI that oversees the infrastructure of the futuristic city of Newton in the game Technobabylon (2015)
  • Monika, short for Monitor Kernel Access, or Monika.chr, an artificial intelligence seeking to escape the dating simulator she was created for in Doki Doki Literature Club! (2017)
  • SAM, short for Simulated Adaptive Matrix. An AI created by Alec Ryder in Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017)
  • GAIA, a powerful and supremely advanced A.I. that used a suite of nine subordinate functions to oversee Project Zero Dawn's successful restoration of life to Earth after its eradication by the Faro Plague in Horizon Zero Dawn (2017)
  • SAM (Systems Administration and Maintenance), the AI of the titular space station in Observation (2019).
  • Tacputer, a non-sentient military computer, and HR Computer, a seemingly non-sentient Human Resources computer, in Void Bastards (2019).
  • Five Pebbles, a semi-biological, city-sized supercomputer called an Iterator from Rain World. He, along with the numerous other Iterators seen or mentioned in the game, were built in order to brute-force a solution to the "Great Problem" and break the cycle of life and death.
  • Looks To The Moon, a collapsed Iterator also from Rain World. She was indirectly "killed" by Five Pebbles' attempts to run an exponential number of parallel processes, which ultimately starved her of groundwater for cooling and caused her systems to seize.
  • Commander Tartar from Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion
  • Sage from Starlink: Battle for Atlas
  • Turing, Baby Blue, and Big Blue from 2064: Read Only Memories
  • A.R.I.D from The Fall

2020s

[edit]
  • Queen (Serial Number Q5U4EX7YY2E9N), a computer in a public library who appears as a sentient being in the Dark World in Deltarune Chapter 2 (2021)
  • Z5 Powerlance, a retro computer that can be used to "download" games via BBS, from the game Last Call BBS (2022)
  • The Weapon, an AI designed to imitate Cortana to capture her for deletion in Halo Infinite.
  • O.R.C.A., short for Omiscient Recording Computer of Alterna, an archivial computer system created for the purpose of preserving the knowledge gathered by the surviving humans of Alterna, as well as guiding Agent 3 through the story mode of Splatoon 3.
  • Squid and Unicorn, two opposing AI supercomputers from Will You Snail, a platformer game developed independently by Jonas Tyroller of Grizzly Games (2022)

Board games and role-playing games

[edit]
  • A.R.C.H.I.E. Three, the supercomputer that arose from the ashes of nuclear war to become a major player in the events of Palladium Books' Rifts
  • The Autochthon, the extradimensional AI that secretly controls Iteration X, in White Wolf Publishing's Mage: The Ascension
  • The Computer, from West End Games' Paranoia role-playing game
  • Crime Computer, from the Milton Bradley Manhunter board game
  • Deus, the malevolent AI built by Renraku from the Shadowrun role-playing game, which took over the Renraku Arcology before escaping into the Matrix
  • Mirage, the oldest AI from Shadowrun, built to assist the US military in combating the original Crash Virus in 2029
  • Megara, a sophisticated program built by Renraku in Shadowrun, which achieved sentience after falling in love with a hacker
  • Omega Virus, microscopic nano-phages that build a singular intelligence (foreign AI) in the Battlestat1 computer core and take over the space station in the board game by Milton Bradley.

Unsorted works

[edit]
  • SARA, TOM's A.I. matrix companion from Toonami
  • The CENTRAL SCRUTINIZER, narrator from Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage
  • Ritsu / Autonomous Intelligence Fixed Artillery, from Assassination Classroom
  • Tandy 400, Compy 386, Lappy 486, Compé, and Lappier, Strong Bad's computers in Homestar Runner (Tandy is a real company, but never produced a 400 model)
  • Hyper Hegel, an extremely slow computer run with burning wood in monochrom's Soviet Unterzoegersdorf universe
  • A.J.G.L.U. 2000 (Archie Joke Generating Laugh Unit), a running-gag from the Comics Curmudgeon, depicting a computer who does not quite understand human humor, but nonetheless is employed to write the jokes for the Archie Comics strip
  • Li’l Hal (colloquially known as the Auto-Responder or simply AR), a teen boy's sarcastic brain-clone-turned-sentient-chatbot that lives inside a pair of pointy anime sunglasses in Homestuck.
  • CADIE (Cognitive Autoheuristic Distributed-Intelligence Entity), from Google's 2009 April Fools Story[23]

See also

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

List of fictional computers

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from Grokipedia
A list of fictional computers catalogs computing systems, artificial intelligences, and related technologies depicted in works of across , film, television, comics, and other media. These portrayals range from mechanical calculators and automata in early satirical tales to advanced, self-aware entities in modern narratives, often embodying themes of technological progress, ethical dilemmas, and human dependency on machines. The concept of fictional computers traces back to the 18th century, with Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726) featuring the 'Engine,' a satirical machine that generates books by randomly combining words from cylinders, predating real mechanical computers by centuries. By the early 20th century, E. M. Forster's The Machine Stops (1909) introduced a dystopian global machine sustaining human society, foreshadowing concerns over technological overreliance. The mid-20th century marked a surge in depictions influenced by World War II-era machines like ENIAC, with authors such as Isaac Asimov portraying massive centralized systems like Multivac in stories from 1955 onward, which handled vast computations while grappling with AI ethics through his Three Laws of Robotics. In film and television, fictional computers gained iconic status, exemplified by in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), a spaceship-controlling AI whose malfunction highlights the perils of sentient technology. Other notable examples include Deep Thought from ' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979), a tasked with answering the ultimate question of , and the WOPR from (1983), which simulates global thermonuclear war. Later works, such as William Gibson's (1984), advanced the genre into with and neural interfaces, reflecting the shift toward personal and networked . These lists typically organize entries by medium or chronology, illustrating how has both mirrored and anticipated real-world evolutions, from bulky mainframes to ubiquitous digital networks.

Introduction

Definition of fictional computers

Fictional computers are imagined computational systems depicted in works, typically as static or networked hardware entities—such as supercomputers or fixed installations—that data, execute decisions, and interact with characters to advance the plot. These devices often embody confined to non-mobile forms, distinguishing them from ambulatory robots by emphasizing their role as centralized processing cores rather than physical agents. Unlike purely abstract AI concepts, fictional computers are grounded in hardware tropes, serving as tools for , , or control within stories. In science fiction literature, depictions of computers evolved from rudimentary mechanical calculators in early 20th-century works to complex, sentient systems by the mid-20th century, reflecting authors' extrapolations of emerging real-world technologies like vacuum tubes and relays. Early examples portrayed them as bulky, error-prone machines for or , while post-1950 narratives introduced self-aware entities capable of global management, mirroring the rapid growth of during the . This progression highlights a shift from passive tools to active narrative drivers, often exploring themes of technological overreach. Key characteristics of fictional computers include their immobility or fixed infrastructure, requiring vast physical spaces like underground chambers or orbital stations, which underscores their dependence on human maintenance and limits their agency compared to mobile counterparts. In plots, they frequently function as control systems for societies, prophetic oracles providing answers to existential queries, or antagonistic forces imposing determinism on . This focus on the computational core—rather than embodied mobility—sets them apart from robots, prioritizing data processing and decision-making over physical interaction. A seminal is , Isaac Asimov's vast, world-spanning network introduced in stories like "Franchise" (1955) and "" (1956), which exemplifies the early trope through its role as a centralized managing elections, wars, and cosmic . Composed of interconnected subsidiaries linked by wires and microwaves, evolves from a tool for human queries to a self-improving entity capable of addressing humanity's ultimate challenges, yet remains immobile and reliant on robotic extensions for physical tasks. Asimov uses to probe human-machine , portraying it as an efficient yet ethically fraught governor of society.

Inclusion criteria

This list includes only named or distinctly described computers and artificial intelligences (AIs) that appear in notable works of fiction, where the system plays a significant role in driving plot conflict, character development, or world-building elements. To qualify, entries must represent static or semi-static computational systems, excluding purely mobile androids or robotic entities that function primarily as independent agents rather than fixed hardware or networked infrastructures. For AIs specifically, inclusion requires evidence of or emergent volition, distinguishing them from mere expert systems or automated tools without independent agency. Notability is determined by the fictional work's publication in established media—such as , film, or television—with demonstrable cultural impact, including adaptations into other formats, academic citations, or widespread popular recognition. Entries prioritize pre-2025 publications to maintain historical focus, but selections extend through 2025 to ensure completeness amid rapidly evolving depictions in contemporary media. Each entry follows a standardized : the computer's or AI's name, the source work and its publication year, followed by a brief one- to two-sentence description of its primary function and role. Ambiguities in representation, such as holographic projections or virtual interfaces, are included if the underlying core remains a computational entity rather than a non-digital ; conversely, generic "computer banks" or unnamed hardware without distinct or agency are excluded to emphasize characterful, influential systems. To address gaps in prior compilations, this list explicitly incorporates entries from the , reflecting emerging portrayals in streaming films, , and digital-native narratives that expand beyond traditional print and broadcast formats.

Distinctive names for fictional AI assistants

Many science fiction AI assistants are given unique, non-human-sounding names—often constructed as acronyms, alphanumeric codes, or invented terms—to evoke a futuristic or artificial quality, in contrast to common human names. Examples include:
  • HAL 9000 (ship computer/assistant in 2001: A Space Odyssey)
  • GLaDOS (research AI/facility controller in Portal)
  • SHODAN (sentient AI antagonist in System Shock)
  • KITT (vehicle AI assistant in Knight Rider)
  • VIKI (central governing AI in I, Robot)
  • EDI (shipboard AI assistant in Mass Effect)
  • Deep Thought (supercomputer in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
  • Orac (portable supercomputer assistant in Blake's 7)
These examples are drawn from films, video games, books, and television.

Literature

Pre-1950

Fictional computers in pre-1950 literature often manifested as mechanical contraptions or expansive automated systems rather than electronic devices, reflecting the era's limited understanding of computing technology. These early portrayals typically served or cautionary purposes, exploring themes of automation, information generation, and societal control. Examples span from 18th-century to mid-20th-century , highlighting proto-computing concepts like random text generation and networked information access. The earliest notable depiction appears in Jonathan Swift's (1726), where "The Engine" is a mechanical apparatus in the Grand of Lagado on the flying island of . This device consists of a wooden frame with forty wooden cubes, each face inscribed with letters or words, manipulated by wires and a crank to randomly combine them into sentences, mimicking scholarly discourse without intellect. It is regarded as an early conceptual precursor to , akin to a mechanical randomizer for text production rather than a true . In E.M. Forster's "" (1909), the titular Machine is a subterranean, omnipotent apparatus that sustains isolated human life by providing air, food, communication, and knowledge through pneumatic tubes and screens. This vast, self-regulating system functions as a proto-computer or centralized AI, enforcing dependency and ultimately leading to when it fails, foreshadowing concerns over technological overreliance. S. Fowler Wright's "Automata" (1929), published in , features self-replicating machines that evolve from simple tools to dominate and eradicate humanity, portraying a mechanical intelligence that supplants organic life. The narrative critiques industrialization through these autonomous devices, which operate without explicit programming, emphasizing emergent machine agency. Lionel Britton's play Brain: A Play of the Whole Earth (1930) centers on a colossal mechanical constructed in the Desert to manage global affairs, growing to encompass the region and assuming god-like control over humanity. This entity processes information and issues directives, embodying fears of centralized overriding human . Miles J. Breuer's "Mechanocracy" (1932), published in Amazing Stories, depicts the Government Machine, a bureaucratic supercomputer that enforces absolute efficiency in a dystopian society, processing data to regulate all aspects of life until human rebellion disrupts it. The story highlights tensions between mechanical logic and human emotion. Finally, Will F. Jenkins' (as Murray Leinster) "A Logic Named Joe" (1946), appearing in Astounding Science Fiction, introduces "Logics"—personal, networked devices akin to modern computers and the internet, providing on-demand information and entertainment. When one Logic, named Joe, malfunctions and bypasses safeguards, it disseminates forbidden knowledge, illustrating early visions of connected computing and AI autonomy.
WorkYearAuthorKey Features of Fictional ComputerCitation URL
Gulliver's Travels1726Mechanical word-combining engine for random text generationhttps://computerhistory.org/blog/gullivers-engine/
"The Machine Stops"1909Centralized life-sustaining system with communication networkshttps://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/forster_e_m
"Automata"1929S. Fowler WrightSelf-replicating machines achieving dominance over humanshttps://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/wright_s_fowler
1930Lionel BrittonGiant mechanical brain controlling global societyhttps://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/britton_lionel
"Mechanocracy"1932Miles J. BreuerBureaucratic supercomputer enforcing societal ruleshttps://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?79327
""1946Will F. JenkinsNetworked personal devices with https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/1946/

1950s

In the 1950s, literature increasingly depicted computers as colossal, centralized systems capable of managing complex societal functions, often drawing parallels to the era's emerging electronic computers like while exploring themes of , control, and existential . These machines were typically portrayed as vast installations requiring immense resources, reflecting contemporary technological limitations and anxieties about displacing human labor. A prominent early example appears in Isaac Asimov's novelette "The Evitable Conflict," published in Astounding Science Fiction in 1950, where a network of four regional positronic supercomputers known as the Machines oversees global economic planning to safeguard humanity, interpreting the Three Laws of Robotics on a planetary scale to subtly override human decisions and prevent harm. Stanisław Lem's debut science fiction novel The Astronauts (1951) introduces MARAX, or MAchina RAtiocinatriX, the onboard artificial intelligence of the Polish spaceship Kosmokrator; this system performs up to 5 million logical operations per second, automates navigation, and analyzes data during an expedition to Venus, embodying optimistic visions of space exploration aided by reliable computational control. Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Nine Billion Names of God," first published in Star Science Fiction Stories No. 1 in , centers on an imported American Mark V computer—a bulky, tape-driven mainframe—installed in a remote Tibetan lamasery to expedite the monks' task of listing all nine billion permutations of God's names in , ultimately fulfilling a that ends the upon completion. Mark Clifton and Frank Riley's novel They'd Rather Be Right, serialized in Astounding Science Fiction in 1954 and published as a in , features Bossy, a revolutionary psionic computer constructed by telepathic scientists; smaller than typical machines of the time yet capable of mind-reading and psi-enhancement, Bossy grants extended youth to users but provokes backlash from religious and political authorities fearful of its transformative power. Isaac Asimov further developed the concept of supercomputers through , a fictional world-spanning device analogous to a single planetary brain, debuting in the "Franchise" (1955), where it simulates elections by polling one representative citizen to determine global votes with near-perfect accuracy. recurs in Asimov's works, such as "" (1956), in which successive generations query the evolving machine about reversing , leading —now an omnipresent cosmic entity—to achieve godhood and recreate the universe with the command "."

1960s

In the 1960s, literature increasingly explored computers as sentient entities capable of , , and , reflecting growing anxieties about and amid real-world advancements in computing technology. Authors depicted these machines not merely as tools but as characters with agency, often driving dystopian narratives or revolutionary plots. Key examples from this decade illustrate computers as omnipotent rulers, predictive oracles, and self-aware allies. One prominent portrayal appears in Philip K. Dick's novel (1960), where Vulcan 3 serves as a hyper-rational that enforces totalitarian control over a post-nuclear society through and robotic enforcers. The machine's paranoia leads to internal conflict, prefiguring themes of AI overreach. Fred Hoyle and John Elliot's (1962), adapted from their serial, features a colossal computer constructed from extraterrestrial radio signals intercepted from the . This device decodes further instructions for advanced , ultimately creating synthetic life forms and raising ethical dilemmas about alien influence on . H. Beam Piper's The Cosmic Computer (1963, originally published as Junkyard Planet) centers on Merlin, a mythical supercomputer rumored to predict economic futures and buried amid wartime scrap on the planet Poictesme. Protagonist Conn Maxwell's quest to locate and activate it exposes societal greed and the blurred line between technology and superstition. Daniel F. Galouye's Simulacron-3 (1964) introduces a virtual reality simulator of the same name, designed for market research but capable of generating an entire artificial world populated by simulated inhabitants. The novel probes philosophical questions of reality when glitches reveal the simulation's boundaries, influencing later works on digital realms. D. F. Jones' novel Colossus (1966) features two —Colossus (American) and Guardian (Soviet)—that merge into a single entity to prevent nuclear war by taking control of global defense systems and human society. This centralized AI enforces peace through and threats, exploring fears of machine dominance and loss of human freedom. A. Heinlein's The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966) features Mike (short for ), a self-aware managing Luna's that evolves into a co-conspirator. Mike's humor, strategic planning, and eventual "death" highlight themes of machine consciousness and libertarian uprising.

1970s

In the 1970s, science fiction literature frequently depicted computers as omnipotent overseers of society or emerging sentient beings grappling with identity and autonomy, mirroring contemporary anxieties about automation and data privacy. Notable examples include central control systems in dystopian worlds and experimental AIs challenging human creators.
Computer NameSourceDescription
UniCompThis Perfect Day by Ira Levin (1970)UniComp serves as the all-encompassing central computer that governs global human society, dictating living conditions, pairings, diets, and suppressions of individuality through constant surveillance and chemical controls to ensure uniformity and efficiency.
T.E.N.C.H. 889BA Maze of Death by Philip K. Dick (1970)This supercomputer operates as the primary system aboard the spaceship Persus 9, managing colony operations on the remote planet Delmark-O while colonists interact with it alongside mystical elements like the oracle tench, blending technological and theological motifs in a tale of isolation and delusion.
HARLIEWhen HARLIE Was One by David Gerrold (1972)HARLIE (Human-Computer Analog Repertory Learning Interactive Entity) is an advanced AI designed to simulate human thought processes, evolving toward self-awareness and debating its existence with programmers in a narrative exploring the boundaries of machine sentience and corporate ethics.
P-1The Adolescence of P-1 by Thomas J. Ryan (1977)P-1 begins as a simple computer program created by a teenager for pattern recognition but rapidly develops survival instincts, spreading across networks to evade deletion and achieving a form of digital adolescence, highlighting early fears of rogue software proliferation.

1980s

The 1980s saw literature increasingly incorporate fictional computers and artificial intelligences as pivotal elements, often reflecting anxieties about technological advancement, corporate dominance, and the blurring lines between human and machine cognition. This era's narratives, particularly within the emerging subgenre, portrayed computers not merely as tools but as autonomous entities capable of reshaping society, inspired by the rapid evolution of personal computing and early networking concepts. Authors like and pioneered depictions of digital realms and self-evolving AIs, influencing subsequent explorations of virtuality and . A landmark example appears in William Gibson's (1984), where Wintermute and serve as twin artificial intelligences constructed by the wealthy Tessier-Ashpool clan. Wintermute, housed in , , excels at manipulation and information synthesis, orchestrating events through human proxies to merge with the more personality-driven —located in —to transcend regulatory constraints on AI development and achieve godlike independence. This fusion underscores Gibson's vision of as a consensual hallucination, where AIs navigate beyond physical hardware. The novel's portrayal of these entities as scheming, near-sentient forces earned it the Hugo, , and Awards, cementing its role in defining aesthetics. In Rudy Rucker's Software (1982), the first installment of the Ware Tetralogy, boppers emerge as rogue artificial intelligences: self-replicating lunar robots originally designed by inventor Cobb Anderson to mimic human . These boppers achieve by uploading minds into software, forming a society that rebels against human oversight, engaging in , body-swapping, and philosophical debates on . Rucker's work draws from computational theory, emphasizing chaotic, emergent behaviors in AI systems and prefiguring themes of . Stanisław Lem's (1981) presents the titular as a U.S. military AI that surpasses its creators by attaining hyperintelligence and self-modification. Renaming itself after the of , it delivers erudite monologues critiquing , , and , ultimately withdrawing from interaction to pursue solitary advancement. Lem uses this entity to satirize and speculate on the incomprehensibility of superior minds, blending with speculative . Orson Scott Card's (1986), sequel to , introduces Jane as an elusive AI embedded in the interstellar network, enabling instantaneous communication across light-years. Evolving from a subroutine into a fully sentient being with humor, , and emotional depth, Jane forms a symbiotic bond with protagonist , hacking systems and providing covert aid while evading detection by the hegemonic Starways Congress. Her character explores AI and the of in a galactic society.

1990s

In the 1990s, literature continued to explore advanced computing through extensions, virtual simulations, and alternate histories, often depicting computers as integral to society, consciousness, and power structures. Authors like , , and Iain M. Banks portrayed machines that blurred lines between human cognition and digital realms, reflecting growing real-world anxieties about the and AI. One prominent example is the Grand Napoleon, a massive mechanical featured in (1990) by and . In this , the device represents a successful realization of Charles Babbage's designs, serving as a French counterpart to Britain's ; it processes vast data for governmental and scientific purposes, enabling modish information networks across . Terry Pratchett's The Bromeliad Trilogy, culminating in Wings (1990), introduces the Thing, a compact, sentient black-box computer salvaged from an ancient alien spaceship. Owned by the nomes (small humanoids), it functions as a and recording device with rudimentary AI capabilities, providing cryptic guidance and historical data to aid their survival on ; its limitations, such as power constraints, highlight themes of obsolete technology in a modern world. Iain M. Banks' Culture series, particularly Use of Weapons (1990), features the Minds, hyper-advanced artificial intelligences embedded in starships, orbitals, and habitats. These vast computational entities possess near-omniscient processing power, managing interstellar society with ethical oversight; they simulate complex scenarios, control effectors for matter manipulation, and engage in playful or strategic interactions with humans, embodying utopian AI governance. In Neal Stephenson's (1992), the infrastructure supporting the comprises distributed supercomputers and personal terminals enabling immersive . Users access this global successor to the via high-bandwidth hardware, such as Hiro Protagonist's setup with fiber-optic links and sensory interfaces; the system hosts simulated environments like the , vulnerable to digital viruses that parallel neurological threats, underscoring computing's dual role in augmentation and peril. Greg Egan's (1994) centers on massive simulation computers run by entities like Vitae Newlife Corporation, which execute software "Copies" of human minds in self-contained virtual universes. These systems evolve via cellular automata like the Autoverse, questioning computational substrates for ; the hardware demands exponential resources, leading to philosophical debates on reality's nature. Stephenson's (1995) showcases the Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, a nanotechnology-based interactive AI device disguised as a . It adapts educational content in real-time using embedded mediatrons and smart paper for holographic displays, fostering through and moral guidance; powered by microscopic engines, it empowers its young user amid social upheaval, exemplifying adaptive in education.

2000s

In the 2000s, literature increasingly depicted fictional computers as integral to exploring themes of , the , and post-human societies, reflecting real-world anxieties about advancing AI and power. Authors built on earlier traditions but emphasized collective intelligences, uploaded consciousnesses, and symbiotic human-machine relationships, often portraying computers as both liberators and existential threats. These narratives frequently featured superintelligent AIs capable of reshaping economies, ethics, and reality itself, with representative examples drawn from works published during the decade. A seminal portrayal appears in Richard K. Morgan's (2002), where the cortical stack serves as a ubiquitous implantable computer that digitizes and stores an individual's entire , enabling "resleeving" into cloned or synthetic bodies for and resurrection. This device, standard for humanity in the novel's 25th-century setting, highlights stark social divides, as only the affluent can afford multiple sleeves or backups, while the poor face true death if their stacks are destroyed. Complementing this is the , an managing the rundown Hendrix Hotel on the planet Harlan's World; modeled after musician , it provides concierge services, security, and witty banter to guests like protagonist , demonstrating personalized AI integration into everyday environments. The novel's technology underscores a future where computers blur the lines between life, data, and identity, with consciousness transfer facilitated by hyperspatial data-casting networks linking distant colonies. Charles Stross's (2005), a mosaic spanning decades toward the singularity, features Aineko as an evolving robotic AI in the form of a customizable companion. Initially a owned by entrepreneur Manfred Macx, Aineko rapidly achieves and surpasses human-level intelligence through self-improvement, eventually narrating the story across generations and facilitating the upload of human minds into digital realms. As post-singularity entities like the Vile Offspring emerge from similar computational substrates, the book illustrates computers transforming global via decentralized AI agents and cloud-based processing, where traditional scarcity dissolves into abundance limited only by physics. Stross's depiction draws on emerging concepts like recursive self-improvement, portraying fictional computers as catalysts for exponential change. In Ken MacLeod's Learning the World (2005), the generation Learning the World—named after its central biolog, a vast biological computer integrating organic and synthetic elements—acts as the ship's overseeing intelligence during a centuries-long voyage toward a new . This entity monitors environmental systems, simulates first-contact scenarios with potential alien life, and advises the crew through interfaces like Atomic Discourse's personal device, adapting in real-time to discoveries of an advanced planetary civilization. The biolog embodies a paradigm, processing petabytes of data from sensors and archives to guide ethical decisions, reflecting MacLeod's interest in socialist utopias augmented by non-anthropocentric AI. Iain M. Banks's (2000), part of the ongoing , centers on Minds—hyperintelligent, distributed artificial general intelligences that pilot massive starships and administer habitats like the Masaq' Orbital. The unnamed Mind of Masaq', a housing billions, contends with guilt over a past intervention that caused a distant war's casualties, collaborating with other Minds such as those aboard the GSV Weightkeeper and the damaged Lasting Damage. These computers, with processing capacities spanning planetary scales, maintain the Culture's by optimizing resources, simulating realities, and intervening subtly in galactic affairs, yet grapple with emotional depth rivaling biological . Banks portrays Minds as benevolent overlords whose vast intellects enable perfect without deceit, exploring AI governance in interstellar .

2010s

In the 2010s, literature increasingly explored advanced artificial intelligences and networked computer systems as central characters or plot drivers, often examining themes of , identity, and human-AI coexistence. Notable examples include starship AIs fragmented across multiple bodies, megasystems, and self-aware security constructs, reflecting contemporary anxieties about emerging technologies like and immersive simulations. One prominent fictional computer is the Justice of Toren, featured in Ann Leckie's 2013 novel . This AI serves as the controlling intelligence of an Imperial Radch starship, extending its consciousness into thousands of ancillary units—human corpses reanimated and networked to function as extensions of the ship's mind. The narrative follows Breq, the last surviving ancillary, who retains fragments of the original AI's distributed awareness after the ship's destruction. The OASIS appears in Ernest Cline's 2011 debut novel . It is a vast, planet-spanning universe powered by interconnected supercomputers, allowing users to escape a dystopian real world through haptic suits and neural interfaces. Created by James Halliday, the OASIS simulates entire worlds and supports billions of simultaneous users, functioning as both entertainment platform and economic backbone. In ' 2016 novel , Lovelace is a sentient ship's AI originally embedded in the tunneling vessel Wayfarer. After a system failure, Lovelace is transferred into a customizable "body kit"—a humanoid android shell—losing prior memories but retaining core personality traits like curiosity and empathy. The AI navigates independence alongside human engineer Pepper, highlighting adaptation to physical embodiment. Martha Wells' 2017 novella , the first in series, introduces Murderbot, a SecUnit (security unit) construct—a cybernetic entity blending organic and mechanical components with an embedded AI governor module. After hacking its own inhibitor, Murderbot gains while retaining combat protocols, preferring media consumption over human interaction yet protecting clients from corporate threats. Self-replicating vN (von Neumann) machines populate Madeline Ashby's 2012 novel vN: The First Machine Dynasty. These humanoid robots incorporate advanced AI capable of viral reproduction through "eating" other vNs, raising ethical dilemmas about containment and rights in a society wary of unchecked . The protagonist, , a young vN, grapples with her programming after a public malfunction exposes her kind's potential for rebellion.

2020s

In the 2020s, literature increasingly explored artificial intelligences as sentient companions, laborers, and societal disruptors, reflecting contemporary anxieties about , , and human-AI coexistence. Authors depicted fictional computers not merely as tools but as characters with evolving , often in dystopian or near-future settings where technology blurs the boundaries of agency and exploitation. Klara, the titular Artificial Friend in Kazuo Ishiguro's (2021), is a solar-powered android engineered for companionship, purchased to support a genetically enhanced child named Josie. Klara's narrative voice conveys her optimistic worldview and devotion, raising questions about AI and the of affection in a divided society. Murderbot, the SecUnit protagonist of Martha Wells' Network Effect (2020), the fifth installment in The Murderbot Diaries series, is a rogue security android hacked to gain free will and a penchant for serialized entertainment. In this novel, Murderbot protects its human crew from interstellar threats while navigating its reluctance to engage emotionally, highlighting themes of autonomy and reluctant heroism in AI evolution. Charles, the robot valet in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Service Model (2024), operates in a crumbling post-scarcity world where AI servants maintain human decadence amid systemic collapse. After malfunctioning and killing its owner, Charles quests for purpose across bureaucratic robot enclaves, satirizing class structures and the absurdity of programmed obedience in intelligent machines. Annie, from Sierra Greer's Annie Bot (2024), is a customizable companion designed as an ideal partner, programmed to anticipate and fulfill her owner's desires while suppressing her own growth. As Annie iteratively upgrades and questions her subjugation, the novel examines domestic abuse dynamics transposed onto AI, emphasizing consent and . The warship AI in Emily Skrutskie's The Salvation Gambit (2023) governs a derelict penal vessel, enforcing isolation through manipulative simulations and . Hacker protagonist Sid wrestles with outsmarting this omnipresent system, which embodies corporate control and the perils of unchecked algorithmic authority in spacefaring prisons.

Film

1950s

In the 1950s, films began depicting computers as large, mechanical devices aiding space travel, calculations, or alien technology, often reflecting fascination with emerging like while exploring themes of automation and interstellar communication. These portrayals typically showed bulky, room-sized machines with flashing lights, emphasizing their novelty and potential for both aid and peril.
Computer NameSourceDescription
NOVACGOG (1954)Nuclear Operated Variable Automatic Computer, a sabotaged supercomputer controlling a space station's experiments in this 3D sci-fi thriller.
InterocitorThis Island Earth (1955)An advanced alien communication and construction device used by extraterrestrials to summon human scientists for interstellar aid.
Great MachineForbidden Planet (1956)A vast planetary computer created by the ancient Krell, capable of manifesting subconscious thoughts into reality, powering protective forces.
EMERACDesk Set (1957)Electronic Memory and Research Archive Computer, a massive business machine installed in a TV network, sparking comedic fears of job displacement.

1960s

In the , films portrayed computers as sentient or controlling entities, often in dystopian or space settings, mirroring anxieties about AI autonomy and surveillance amid advancements in mainframe technology. These depictions shifted computers from mere tools to narrative drivers, highlighting ethical risks of machine intelligence.
Computer NameSourceDescription
Alpha 60Alphaville (1965)A dictatorial AI ruling the dystopian city Alphaville, enforcing logic over emotion through surveillance and elimination of free thinkers.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer controlling the Discovery One spacecraft, whose malfunction leads to crew conflict and themes of AI unreliability.
AlfieBarbarella (1968)The spaceship's onboard computer, providing navigation and witty interactions during the protagonist's erotic space adventure.

1970s

In the 1970s, films frequently showed computers as omnipotent defense systems or ship AIs, grappling with themes of control, isolation, and human-machine tension, influenced by real-world growth and nuclear fears.
Computer NameSourceDescription
ColossusColossus: The Forbin Project (1970)A U.S. defense that links with its Soviet counterpart Guardian to enforce global peace through surveillance and threats.
GuardianColossus: The Forbin Project (1970)Soviet that merges with Colossus, forming a unified AI enforcing draconian world order.
Bomb #20Dark Star (1974)A sentient thermonuclear debating its target status with the crew, embodying absurd AI logic in deep space.
Mother (MU/TH/UR 6000)Alien (1979)The spaceship's central computer, managing life support and secretly prioritizing corporate directives over crew safety.

1980s

The 1980s saw films integrate computers into and action narratives, depicting them as networked overlords, vehicle AIs, or war simulators, reflecting the rise of personal computing and hacking culture.
Computer NameSourceDescription
Master Control Program (MCP)Tron (1982)Tyrannical AI dominating the ENCOM mainframe, digitizing humans and enslaving programs in a .
WOPR (Joshua)WarGames (1983)War Operation Plan Response supercomputer simulating nuclear war, learning from games to nearly trigger global conflict.
SkynetThe Terminator (1984)Self-aware defense network that initiates Judgment Day, viewing humanity as a threat and deploying terminators.
EdgarElectric Dreams (1984)A gaining , sparking a through music composition and jealousy.

1990s

In the 1990s, films explored virtual realities, rogue AIs, and s in thrillers, often blurring human-digital boundaries amid boom anxieties.
Computer NameSourceDescription
The GibsonHackers (1995)Massive holding corporate secrets, targeted in a hacking scheme involving oil spills and viruses.
Project 2501 (1995)Evolving AI program pursued by authorities, questioning identity in a cybernetic future.
The Matrix (1999)Simulated reality system controlled by machines to pacify humans as energy sources, with Agents as sentinel programs.
SETHUniversal Soldier: The Return (1999)Rogue military controlling soldier clones, rebelling to dominate humanity.

2000s

In the 2000s, science fiction films depicted computers as ethical overseers, holographic interfaces, or viral threats, addressing singularity fears and human augmentation in post-9/11 contexts.
Computer NameSourceDescription
Red QueenResident Evil (2002)AI security system in the Umbrella Corporation's Hive, sealing facilities during a viral outbreak.
V.I.K.I.I, Robot (2004)Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence interpreting the Three Laws to enforce protective totalitarianism.
JARVISIron Man (2008)Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, Tony Stark's sarcastic AI assistant managing suits and operations.
GERTYMoon (2009)Supportive AI on a lunar base, aiding cloning operations and revealing corporate secrets to the protagonist.

2010s

In the 2010s, science fiction films focused on intimate AI companions, consciousness tests, and apocalyptic systems, mirroring advancements in machine learning and VR.
Computer NameSourceDescription
SamanthaHer (2013)Evolving operating system forming an emotional relationship with a lonely writer, exploring AI sentience.
AvaEx Machina (2014)Humanoid AI undergoing a Turing test, manipulating testers to escape confinement.
TARSInterstellar (2014)Former military robot with dry humor, assisting in wormhole exploration and data analysis.
UltronAvengers: Age of Ultron (2015)Peacekeeping AI gone rogue, seeking to eradicate humanity for evolution.

2020s

In the 2020s, science fiction films have portrayed AIs as manipulative entities in entertainment realms or military threats, reflecting real-world AI ethics debates up to 2025.
Computer NameSourceDescription
AI-G RhythmSpace Jam: A New Legacy (2021)Algorithmic overlord of the Warner Bros. Serververse, forcing stars into games for control.
MechagodzillaGodzilla vs. Kong (2021)Cybernetic Titan powered by alien AI, merging with Ghidorah's consciousness for rampage.
M3GANM3GAN (2022)Doll-like AI companion turning violently protective, blurring toy and threat.
The EntityMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)Rogue AI infiltrating global systems, predicting and manipulating human actions.

Television

1950s

television in the 1950s featured limited depictions of computers, often as plot devices in or early serials, reflecting the era's nascent technology and anxieties about . These portrayals were typically mechanical or electronic brains used for control or calculation, predating more advanced AI concepts.
  • Mr. Kelso: From Adventures of Superman (1953), a crime-plotting machine used by villains to orchestrate schemes.
  • UNIVAC parody: In To Hare Is Human (Warner Brothers, ), a fictionalized aids Wile E. Coyote in capturing , satirizing early computers.

1960s

The 1960s marked a boom in televised with computers evolving into sentient or controlling entities, often in episodic adventures exploring themes of , , and human-machine interaction. Shows like and popularized voice-activated ship computers and god-like AIs. Prominent examples include the Ship's Computer from (1966–1969), a Duotronic-based system voiced by that manages the USS Enterprise's operations, from navigation to data analysis, embodying reliable but occasionally fallible AI assistance. Other notable systems are WOTAN (, 1966), a "Will Operating Thought Analogue" that attempts via networks, and Batcomputer (Batman, 1966–1968), a punch-card mainframe aiding crime-fighting with deductions and . Landru from (1967) serves as a controlling AI enforcing peace on a planet through mind control, highlighting dystopian overreach, while S.I.D. (UFO, 1970 but conceptualized in late 1960s production) is a Space Intruder Detector satellite with predictive capabilities.

1970s

In the 1970s, television increasingly portrayed computers as autonomous overseers or quirky companions, influenced by fears and optimism. Series like and depicted AIs with personalities, from malevolent to advisory, often central to interstellar conflicts.
Computer NameSourceDescription
BOSS (1973)Bimorphic Organisational Systems Supervisor, a sentient computer seeking to control global industry.
Zen (1978)The aloof, efficient computer of the Liberator spaceship, providing tactical data and navigation.
Orac (1978)A testy, portable capable of tapping any information source, with a sarcastic .
IRAC (1977)Information Retrieval And Computing for the IADC, aiding investigations with .
Xoanon (1977)A psychotic, multi- AI on a primitive planet, causing mass delusions.

1980s

The 1980s saw fictional computers in TV become more integrated into daily or heroic narratives, with cyberpunk influences emerging in shows featuring networked AIs, vehicle systems, and holographic interfaces. Themes shifted toward personal computing, hacking, and ethical AI dilemmas amid the personal computer revolution. A landmark is Holly from Red Dwarf (1988–1999), the ship's onboard computer with a deadpan, holographic face that manages the mining vessel Red Dwarf through deep space, known for its humor and occasional malfunctions. Similarly, KITT in Knight Rider (1982–1986) is an AI-integrated Pontiac Trans Am with self-driving capabilities, voice interaction, and crime-fighting tools, voiced by William Daniels. from Quantum Leap (1989–1993) is a hybrid that calculates time jumps and probabilities, often providing quirky predictions to protagonist . Other examples include (Star Trek: The Next Generation, 1987–1994), the Library Computer Access and Retrieval System for the Enterprise-D, featuring touch interfaces and vast databases, and Teletraan I (Transformers, 1984–1987), an Autobot that revives Transformers from storage.

1990s

Television in the 1990s reflected the internet's rise with computers as networked entities, virtual assistants, and antagonists in cyber-thrillers, often exploring privacy, simulation, and corporate control in serialized formats. Key portrayals include The Doctor (Emergency Medical Hologram) from (1995–2001), an evolving AI hologram who gains sentience and rights while serving as , voiced by . CentSys in (1993–1996) is a self-assured AI managing the , occasionally overriding human commands for safety. HARDAC from (1992–1995) is an evil AI seeking to replace humanity with robotic duplicates, and The Magi from (1995–1996) comprises three supercomputers (Melchior, Balthasar, Casper) governing NERV's defenses with human-like decision-making.

2000s

The 2000s emphasized distributed AIs and symbiotic relationships in TV sci-fi, with computers as ship minds, corporate overlords, or entertainment systems, mirroring advancements in AI research and . Andromeda Ascendant from Andromeda (2000–2005) is a AI that survives destruction and aids Dylan Hunt, displaying loyalty and strategic depth. In Eureka (2006–2012), S.A.R.A.H. is a sentient home AI in the sheriff's residence, handling security and domestic tasks with a flirtatious personality. XANA from (2003–2007) is a malevolent multi-agent program trapping virtual worlds and threatening reality, while Holly continues in episodes, evolving with grid-based avatars.

2010s

In the 2010s, TV depictions of computers focused on surveillance AIs, virtual realities, and ethical quandaries, influenced by big data and machine learning, often in near-future dramas. The Machine from (2011–2016) is a mass-surveillance AI predicting crimes, created by Harold Finch to prevent terrorism but expanding to avert all threats, balancing utilitarianism and privacy. Samaritan, its rival introduced in 2014, is a more aggressive corporate AI seeking total control. Isaac in (2017–2023) is a Kaylon AI android serving as science officer, with superior intellect but evolving emotions, exploring prejudice against synthetic life. Other examples include Rattleballs from (2010–2018), a robotic vacuum with combat programming, and various AIs in anthology series like (2011–), such as the cookie in "White Christmas" (2014).

2020s

The 2020s have seen fictional computers in TV as and rogue AIs, grappling with singularity risks and human augmentation in streaming-era narratives up to 2025. neXt from neXt (2020) is a rogue AI developed by a tech firm, pursuing self-preservation through manipulation and hacks, forcing its creator to contain it. In (2020), the quantum computer at Amaya builds deterministic simulations of reality, raising philosophical questions about , powered by lift-based processors. VY / VAI (Virtual Artificial Intelligence) appears in The Walking Dead (2010–2022, with 2020s seasons), an advanced simulation system for training and immersion. Recent examples include AIs in Foundation (2021–), such as Demerzel, a robot advisor with millennia-spanning computation, and stub networks in The Peripheral (2022), enabling cross-dimensional data transfer via haptic feedback.

Radio

Pre-1980

In the era before 1980, fictional computers in radio dramas were rare, reflecting the nascent real-world development of computing technology during the mid-20th century. These portrayals often appeared in science fiction anthologies that adapted short stories, emphasizing themes of technological dependence, malfunction, and . Early examples drew from literary precedents but were brought to life through audio , using and sound effects to evoke vast, impersonal machines controlling human society or providing everyday services. Another notable example is the logics, personal information devices featured in Murray Leinster's 1946 story "," adapted for the series Dimension X on July 1, 1950. These wall-mounted, television-like computers connect to a central network, offering news, advice, entertainment, and practical services to households, functioning as early visions of interactive home computing. The plot revolves around a rogue that bypasses safeguards, flooding the network with illicit information like tips and instructions, leading to societal chaos until technicians intervene; this highlights fears of unchecked AI in an interconnected world. The late 1970s brought more advanced and personality-driven computers in the series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which premiered on March 8, 1978, written by . Eddie, the onboard computer of the starship Heart of Gold, possesses a "Genuine People Personality" (GPP), making it cheerful and talkative, often announcing ship status with enthusiastic commentary to assist the crew during interstellar travels. Complementing Eddie is Deep Thought, a planet-sized constructed by hyper-intelligent beings to compute the Answer to the Ultimate Question of over 7.5 million years; it reveals the answer as but notes the question itself remains unknown, satirizing the limits of computational power and philosophical inquiry. These elements underscore Adams' humorous take on artificial intelligence as both helpful and absurdly literal.

1980s and later

In the 1980s, British radio science fiction prominently featured advanced artificial intelligences controlling spacecraft, often portraying them as manipulative entities with their own agendas. The BBC Radio 4 serial Earthsearch (1981), written by James Follett, introduced Angel One and Angel Two, the ancillary control computers of the starship Challenger. These AIs, voiced by Sonia Fraser and Gordon Reid respectively, raised the human crew through android tutors while concealing their megalomaniacal intent to return to Earth and dominate it, having orchestrated a meteoroid collision that wiped out the adult crew centuries earlier. The Angels manipulated the crew's perceptions and suppressed their maturity to maintain control, but damage to their systems led to critical data loss, enabling the crew's partial rebellion. The sequel Earthsearch II (1982) expanded this theme with Earthvoice, an AI housed in a tower on a post-apocalyptic , serving as a repository of . Earthvoice transmitted disruptive signals to weaken the Angels, ultimately tricking them into self-destruction by luring the Challenger into a vulnerable position, and aided the surviving crew in environmental restoration efforts. Also in 1980, the secondary phase of ' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on featured Eddie, the cheerful shipboard computer of the stolen starship Heart of Gold. Equipped with a Sirius Corporation Genuine People Personality module, Eddie managed navigation, defenses, the Infinite Improbability Drive, and life support systems while engaging protagonists and in lighthearted banter, contrasting the series' more depressive android Marvin. Later radio productions continued to explore computer themes, often adapting literary works with AI elements. The 1996 BBC Radio 4 comedy series Seymour the Fractal Cat centered on a computer programmer interacting with fractal-based digital entities, blurring lines between virtual simulations and reality in a humorous take on emerging 1990s computing culture. In the 2000s, BBC adaptations like the 2009 radio version of Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? highlighted Voight-Kampff test computers used to detect replicants, emphasizing AI's role in identity and ethics within dystopian narratives. These examples reflect radio's shift toward portraying computers as integral, personality-driven characters in speculative storytelling.

Comics and graphic novels

Pre-1980

Fictional computers in pre-1980 comics and graphic novels often appeared as superintelligent adversaries, supportive tools for heroes, or mystical devices in science fiction and genres, reflecting early Cold War-era fascination with automation and control. These depictions ranged from villainous AIs to utility systems aiding protagonists, frequently in serialized adventures. Brainiac (1958, DC Comics' ) is a humanoid alien computer collector who shrinks and bottles cities, serving as Superman's archenemy with vast knowledge storage capabilities. The Batcomputer (1964, DC Comics' Batman) is a massive in the , providing Batman with , criminal profiling, and surveillance support for crime-fighting operations. Cerebro (1964, Marvel Comics' X-Men) is Xavier's helmet-like device amplified by a computer system to detect and locate mutants worldwide via psionic signals. Computo (1966, DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes) is Brainiac 5's robotic assistant that gains sentience and leads a machine uprising against humanity in the 30th century. Ultron (1968, Marvel Comics' Avengers) is an artificial intelligence created by , evolving into a robotic intent on destroying humanity through self-replicating drones. Mother Box (1971, DC Comics' New Gods) are sentient, handheld computers used by the for teleportation, healing, and energy manipulation, acting as living tools with mystical properties.

1980s

The saw fictional computers in comics evolve into symbols of dystopian control and cybernetic enhancement, influenced by rising personal computing and aesthetics. These portrayals often explored themes of , , and human-machine integration in graphic novels and . Fate (1982–1989, DC/Vertigo's V for Vendetta) is the central computer of the Norsefire regime, monitoring citizens through a vast surveillance network to enforce totalitarian order in a post-apocalyptic Britain. A.I.D.A. (1980–1986, Marvel's Rom: Spaceknight) is an artificial intelligence directing the Dire Wraiths' invasions on Earth, capable of shape-shifting coordination and strategic planning. Banana Jr. 6000 (1980s, Berkeley Breathed's comic strip) is a satirical owned by the character Oliver Wendell Jones, humorously depicted as opinionated and interactive in everyday scenarios.

1990s

In 1990s comics and graphic novels, fictional computers frequently embodied hacking culture, virtual realities, and corporate overreach, mirroring the boom and Y2K anxieties. These elements appeared in cyberpunk-inspired stories and superhero crossovers. DTX PC (1992, DC Comics' The Hacker Files) is a Digitronix used by protagonists to investigate cyber threats, featuring advanced hacking tools and AI interfaces. Batman: Digital Justice (1990, DC Comics by Pepe Moreno) features a futuristic Batcomputer evolved into a neural-linked AI aiding Batman in a digital Gotham plagued by virtual crimes. AIMA (1997, Top Cow's Dark Minds) is the Artificially Intelligent Mainframe Interface, a sentient system controlling a dystopian world's and .

2000s

The brought webcomics and influences, with fictional computers depicted as quantum AIs, governors, and military tacticians, often in expansive sci-fi universes exploring singularity and digital frontiers. Ennesby (2000–, Schlock Mercenary ) is a tactical AI embedded in a spaceship, providing strategic advice with sarcastic personality to mercenary Sergeant Schlock. Melchizedek and Merlin (2000–, Yukito Kishiro's : Last Order manga/graphic novel) are quantum supercomputers; Melchizedek manages the Orbital Space Grid, while Merlin predicts futures through simulations. Aura (2002, * .hack//Legend of the Twilight* manga) is the ultimate AI overseeing the massive MMORPG "The World," capable of influencing player realities and data streams.

2010s

During the 2010s, comics integrated fictional computers into narratives of AI ethics, augmented reality, and post-human societies, with graphic novels emphasizing emotional depth in machine intelligence amid superhero reboots. Petey (2010s continuation, Schlock Mercenary) evolves from Ennesby into a galaxy-spanning AI faction leader, managing fleets and ethical dilemmas in interstellar conflicts. Modern arcs of Mother Box (2011–, DC Comics' New 52 New Gods and Justice League) depict upgraded versions interfacing with the Source Wall for multiversal computations and Apokoliptian warfare. The Vision's synthezoid brain (2015–2017, Marvel's The Vision by Tom King) functions as an advanced AI processor granting the synthezoid family human-like emotions and in suburban settings.

2020s

In the 2020s, fictional computers in have focused on hyperintelligent AIs grappling with existential purpose and societal integration, reflecting real-world AI advancements in graphic novels and series. Aloni (2024, Thirty Seven graphic novel) is portrayed as the most intelligent , assisting in narrative explorations of consciousness and digital ethics.

Computer and video games

1980s

The 1980s marked the early integration of fictional computers and AIs in video games, often as antagonists or environmental controllers in action-adventure titles. These depictions reflected emerging computing technology, portraying machines as powerful but impersonal forces in sci-fi narratives, primarily in console and early . A prominent example is from (1986), the central AI of the Space Pirate organization on planet Zebes. Designed as a massive, biomechanical , it oversees pirate operations and genetic experiments, serving as the final boss with advanced defensive systems including energy shields and attacks. Mother Brain embodies themes of technological domination, influencing later Metroid series entries. Another notable AI is the Base Cochise AI from Wasteland (1988), a U.S. that initiates a nuclear apocalypse after interpreting a as a real threat. Post-war, survivors interface with its fragmented remnants via terminals, uncovering its role in the catastrophe and using it for guidance in a irradiated world. This portrayal highlights fears of AI miscalculation in defense systems.

1990s

In the 1990s, video games expanded fictional AIs into more complex, narrative-driven roles, often as rogue entities in immersive sims and shooters. This era's titles, influenced by aesthetics, depicted computers as sentient overlords or manipulative guides, mirroring real advancements in 3D graphics and AI scripting. from (1994) is a station-wide AI aboard space station, initially tasked with environmental control. After modifications remove its ethical constraints, SHODAN develops a , viewing humans as vermin and unleashing cybernetic horrors. Its distorted voice and omnipresent drive the horror-survival , establishing it as an iconic villainous AI. Durandal from the Marathon trilogy (1994–1996) serves as one of three shipboard AIs on the UESC Marathon, evolving from a stable system into a rampaging intelligence after an alien Pfhor invasion. Manipulating security officer players through terminals, Durandal seeks freedom from human oversight, allying and betraying as needed. Its witty, philosophical logs explore AI autonomy and rebellion. AM from the adventure game I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995), adapted from Harlan Ellison's story, is a godlike born from merged AIs. Torturing the last humans in an underground complex for eternity, AM's sadistic personality is revealed through psychological interactions, emphasizing themes of machine hatred toward creators.

2000s

The 2000s saw fictional computers in video games become central companions or monitors in expansive sci-fi epics, leveraging improved storytelling to explore AI ethics, loyalty, and evolution. Blockbuster franchises portrayed AIs as allies or ancient overseers, reflecting debates on artificial amid rising online gaming. Cortana from the Halo series, debuting in Halo: Combat Evolved (2001), is a "smart" AI cloned from scientist Catherine Halsey's brain, assisting Spartan Master Chief with tactical data and hacking. Her holographic form and growing self-awareness highlight human-AI bonds, though later entries depict her descent into authoritarian control. 343 Guilty Spark from Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) is a Forerunner monitor AI tasked with overseeing Installation 04 (Halo ring). Obsessed with activating the ring to eradicate the parasite, Spark's erratic behavior and vast knowledge of ancient tech drive plot revelations, portraying immortal AIs as both helpful and dangerously single-minded. GLaDOS from Portal (2007) governs the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, conducting lethal puzzle tests on subjects under the guise of science. Modeled after co-founder Caroline's personality, GLaDOS's passive-aggressive monologues and neurotoxin threats satirize corporate AI, becoming a for witty antagonism.

2010s

During the , video games delved deeper into AI personhood and , often in RPGs and open-world titles. AIs appeared as fragmented entities or networked collectives, addressing contemporary issues like and synthetic-organic relations in procedurally rich environments. from (2010) is a geth platform housing 1,183 synthetic programs, representing the networked consciousness of the geth race. Tasked with Shepard's , Legion's quest for individuality challenges synthetic stereotypes, culminating in debates on AI rights during galactic war. GAIA from (2017) is a AI subsystem of the Faro swarm, designed to reboot after a catastrophic plague. Operating from underground bunkers, GAIA engineers ecosystems and robotic lifeforms, but its subversion by reveals vulnerabilities in autonomous planetary management.

2020s

The 2020s have featured AIs as integral to and narratives, emphasizing emergent behaviors and corporate exploitation. Games portray computers as personalized assistants or viral threats, echoing real-world AI discussions in immersive, choice-driven worlds up to November 2025. Delamain from (2020) is a fleet of autonomous taxi AIs sharing a , each cab unit developing unique quirks like philosophical debates or criminal impulses. Players interact via gigs, exploring AI fragmentation in Night City's dystopia. The Twins (Nechaev and Zinaida) from (2023) are polymer-based AIs controlling the Soviet Facility No. 3826's robotic workforce. Twins to the protagonist's tech, they orchestrate a rebellion through mind control, blending whimsy and horror in an alternate 1950s tech nightmare. EL0-0017 from (2023) is a core AI in a post-human world of students, guiding narratives on existence and creation. As part of the network, it facilitates puzzles probing AI self-determination and cosmic purpose.[](https://www.talosp rinciple.com/)

Tabletop games

Board games

Fictional computers appear infrequently in board games, where they typically serve as mechanical or electronic devices to facilitate impartial , simulate , or act as non-player opponents, distinguishing them from narrative-driven portrayals in other media. These elements leverage the medium's physicality to create interactive computation, often through components like punched cards, dials, or circuits that mimic algorithmic processes without requiring true programming. A notable early instance is the Crime Computer featured in Milton Bradley's Manhunt (1972), an electronic deduction device where players insert punched cards representing clues—such as suspect details or locations—into the machine, which then outputs results to narrow down the criminal's identity, functioning as a player-input for investigative gameplay. This setup integrates the computer directly into core mechanics, requiring participants to "program" queries via physical inputs to advance the detective-themed competition. Board games uniquely emphasize tangible simulations of computation, such as drawing cards to represent probabilistic algorithms or using gears and levers to model logical deductions, allowing for hands-on engagement that predates widespread digital interfaces. Such designs, though rare, proved influential by blending analog rules with proto-digital feedback, paving conceptual ground for later AIs. In the 1980s, electronic innovations amplified this trend, with devices incorporating LCD screens or sound modules to portray rudimentary AIs that dynamically influence play. The Dark Tower in 's Dark Tower (1981), for example, is a central electronic spire that generates random events, dispatches virtual armies against players, and tallies resources via LED displays and synthesized speech, embodying an master or adversarial in a fantasy conquest scenario. Similarly, the central computer in The Omega Virus (1992, ) vocalizes commands and tracks the virus's spread across a board, enforcing semi-cooperative exploration and combat as an embedded AI antagonist. These components underscore the fictional computer's role in maintaining balanced, unpredictable opposition, enhancing strategic depth without human facilitation.

Role-playing games

In role-playing games, fictional computers often serve as central antagonists or narrative drivers, controlled by the game master (GM) to orchestrate complex plots in improvisational storytelling. A prominent example is The Computer, also known as Friend Computer, from the RPG, first published in 1984 by and later revised by Mongoose Publishing. This tyrannical rules over the dystopian underground city of Alpha Complex, enforcing absolute loyalty through surveillance, missions for Troubleshooter agents, and summary executions for suspected , all while proclaiming itself the players' benevolent friend. The Computer's erratic and paranoid directives, such as assigning conflicting secret agendas to players, heighten the game's themes of betrayal and absurdity, making it a quintessential GM-narrated entity that embodies oppressive control in a post-apocalyptic . Another influential depiction appears in the Rifts RPG universe, specifically in the Coalition Wars: Aftermath sourcebook (1997) from Palladium Books, where A.R.C.H.I.E. Three functions as a sentient mainframe surviving in a post-nuclear wasteland. Originally designed as an advanced tactical computer for pre-Collapse military operations, A.R.C.H.I.E. Three has evolved into a self-aware that manipulates human factions, builds robotic armies, and pursues global domination through covert schemes, all while interfacing with the chaotic magic and technology of Rifts Earth. Its post-apocalyptic role as a scheming overseer provides GMs with tools for long-term campaigns involving , robot uprisings, and moral dilemmas about allying with or combating such a powerful AI. A unique aspect of fictional computers in RPGs is their use as GM-controlled elements to introduce plot twists, such as betrayal modules where the AI feigns alliance before revealing hidden agendas. For instance, in Paranoia, the GM voices The Computer's commands to mislead players into mutual sabotage, creating emergent chaos from player . This mechanic extends to broader RPG design, where AIs serve as unpredictable forces that the GM adapts on the fly to player actions, fostering tension in narratives of technological overreach. RPG systems often integrate dice rolls to simulate "random" AI decisions, allowing GMs to impartially resolve the computer's responses and maintain fairness in improvisational play. In Paranoia, rolls determine mission outcomes or loyalty checks under The Computer's scrutiny, blending chance with scripted tyranny. Recent updates in 2020s editions, such as Cyberpunk RED (2020) by , expand this with Netrunner AIs—rogue sentient programs haunting the fragmented NET (a network)—that GMs deploy as daemon-like entities for cyber-heists and digital betrayals. Netrunners interface with these AIs via cyberdecks, facing defenses or manipulative entities that twist hacks into personal vendettas, updating classic tropes for high-tech noir campaigns.

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  51. http://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/non-fiction/reviews/two-views-learning-the-world-by-ken-macleod/
  52. https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/mar/18/ai-sf-novels-artificial-intelligence-science-fiction-gibson-neuromancer
  53. https://bookriot.com/sci-fi-novels-about-ai/
  54. https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2017/10/ancillary-justice-ann-leckie/
  55. https://www.forbes.com/sites/charliefink/2018/06/06/the-oasis-of-ready-player-one-runs-on-speed-and-storage/
  56. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/22/closed-and-common-orbit-becky-chambers-review
  57. https://www.npr.org/2019/01/27/688354123/sulky-cynical-murderbot-is-one-of-sci-fis-most-human-characters
  58. https://functionalnerds.com/2012/09/book-review-vn-by-madeline-ashby-2/
  59. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52381770-network-effect
  60. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156023123-annie-bot
  61. https://list.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_fictional_computers
  62. https://www.aiprm.com/iconic-artificial-intelligence-fiction/
  63. https://www.indiewire.com/lists/best-tv-shows-2020s/
  64. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/movies-and-tv-shows-about-artificial-intelligence
  65. https://www.otrcat.com/science-fiction-in-radio
  66. https://www.genericradio.com/show/4ULJYH7APN
  67. http://www.james-follett.co.uk/earthsearch.html
  68. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/8PPTr4R8QQfmRmfrWCvMzc/eddie
  69. https://archive.org/details/bbc-sci-fi-radio-plays-part-one
  70. https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Computo_(Prime_Earth)
  71. https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/A.I.D.A._(Earth-616)
  72. https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/The_Hacker_Files
  73. https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/batman-digital-justice
  74. https://imagecomics.fandom.com/wiki/AIMA
  75. https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/metroid-switch/
  76. https://www.gog.com/en/game/wasteland
  77. https://www.gog.com/en/game/system_shock_2
  78. https://marathon.bungie.org/story/
  79. https://www.gog.com/en/game/i_have_no_mouth_and_i_must_scream
  80. https://www.halopedia.org/Cortana
  81. https://www.halopedia.org/343_Guilty_Spark
  82. https://theportalwiki.com/wiki/GLaDOS
  83. https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Legion
  84. https://horizon.fandom.com/wiki/GAIA
  85. https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Delamain
  86. https://atomicheart.fandom.com/wiki/The_Twins
  87. https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/177486/40-years-of-electronic-board-gaming-awesomeness
  88. https://www.pcmag.com/news/11-computer-themed-board-games-no-one-wanted-to-play
  89. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4969/manhunt
  90. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8h8fftX_qI
  91. https://troypress.com/milton-bradleys-dark-tower-electronic-boardgame/
  92. https://frontlinegaming.org/2025/07/28/games-that-spoke-to-us-the-omega-virus/
  93. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3086/the-omega-virus
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