2001: A Space Odyssey imagined progress through technology. Today, AI and lunar competition demand a smarter, more cooperative space policy.
The critically acclaimed film 2001: A Space Odyssey is a film that has been deemed groundbreaking in the science fiction movie genre. Many will argue that the stunning visual effects and themes of this 1968 adaptation went on to inspire numerous sci-fi films, such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture and even Interstellar. It is undeniable that 2001: A Space Odyssey left a great impact on the film industry. But Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke may have unknowingly created a more significant influence on the future of space exploration, artificial intelligence (AI), and humanity’s part in it all.
The Future of Space Travel
The two major technological advancements that are established in this movie are fully functioning space travel/exploration and prolific AI. Let’s begin by examining the former. After showcasing a depiction of the dawn of humanity, the film transports the viewer to its modern day—the year 2001. We are then introduced to the first major character, Dr. Heywood Floyd, on a commercialized flight through space on his way to a fully operational and permanent base on the Moon. In our reality, there are a few more hurdles in the way before someone would find themselves with Dr. Floyd’s same flight itinerary.
Much of today’s commercial space travel is dominated by three major companies: Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have launched multiple civilian suborbital flights just above the Kármán Line—the internationally recognized edge of space. Also, SpaceX has the technology to provide its passengers with multiday stays in orbit, but these flight contracts are typically given to governments to shuttle their crew and cargo back and forth to the International Space Station. This taste of space tourism, albeit predominantly by the extremely rich and famous so far, does have the potential for long-term benefits. If done right, space tourism could help us learn more about the effects different orbits have on various types of people, as well as contribute to a future space economy. In its current state, though, the space tourism industry is a very niche business that only seems viable to the rich. This perception could turn the average person away from these endeavors when quite the opposite needs to occur for space tourism to become an actual industry. More interest in space leads to more investment in space, which can benefit humankind.
From Fiction to Policy: Artemis and the New Lunar Race
In addition to depicting ease of travel through space, 2001 also showcased a permanent base on the Moon being used as a “waypoint” to other planets like Jupiter. This base was inhabited by people of multiple nationalities. This sci-fi hypothetical can best be compared to the Artemis program announced in 2019. The Artemis Accords, helmed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is a set of non-binding principles meant to facilitate a multinational collaborative effort to utilize scientific discoveries, technology advancements, and work together to create the first long-term presence on the Moon as a stepping stone to reaching Mars.
Although the premise of Artemis is a very promising sentiment backed by 56 countries, the progression of humanity is always wrapped up in geopolitics. For example, China is an undeniably dominant player in the space arena, but they have never been and will likely never be a signatory of the Artemis Accords. In direct opposition to US-led Artemis, the Chinese National Space Agency, in collaboration with Russia’s Roscosmos, initiated plans for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in 2021 as well. The goal of ILRS “is to establish a research platform and infrastructure complex on the moon’s surface and in its orbit, with the possibility of long-term unmanned operation and the prospect of a human presence.”
Lunar Resources and the Need for New Governance
Both initiatives want the same things and have the same goals, but are pursuing them separately from each other. Once Artemis and ILRS begin to be established on the Moon, there will be even more obstacles to consider. Aside from prestige and scientific research, returning to the Moon also provides access to lunar resources crucial to furthering space exploration. Some of the most coveted are water ice for life support and helium-3, a non-radioactive isotope in abundance on the Moon from billions of years of solar winds, used for energy via nuclear fusion. With how integral just these two resources alone will be, the potential for tension over mining rights and ownership is high.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST), the only internationally recognized treaty regarding space, does have clauses to address this kind of situation. But countries are already working on ways to get around principles such as “outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, [or] by means of use or occupation.” As lunar activity expands, new concepts have been created to help ensure mission safety and manage potential conflicts. For example, safety zones are a controversial component of the Artemis Accords. Some stakeholders would argue that they are simply marked barriers put in place to keep equipment and crew safe from lunar dust, known as regolith. Others would say that safety zones are attempts to claim sovereignty over portions of the Moon in blatant disregard of the OST. I would say that two things can be true at once.
This is why the OST needs an update to be more detailed. Much has changed since the days of the original space race. For humanity’s future on the Moon and beyond, a sustainable and communal resource framework rooted in its own positive feedback loop is what will be needed. I slightly chuckled to myself when I realized that 2001: A Space Odyssey was released one year after the enactment of the OST. I don’t know how much Kubrick and Clarke were aware of the treaty at the time, but the society they shared in this film seemed to be doing a much better job of honoring the OST than we are in 2025, and that is absolutely something to strive for. We must not forget that outer space is for the peaceful use of all humankind.
HAL 9000 and the Rise of Artificial Intelligence
2001: A Space Odyssey was not the first film to include the development of AI, but it was notably the first to gain so much popularity. The viewer is introduced to HAL 9000 when the Discovery mission to Jupiter has already begun. The way HAL speaks and interacts with others, such as astronauts Dave Bowman and Frank Poole, is one of confidence and almost cockiness. While being interviewed for a broadcast back to Earth, HAL adamantly states that “no 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information” and that they are “incapable of error.” These two statements become pivotal later in the film. It is revealed that HAL’s secret objective was to ensure the successful investigation of the monolith signal between the Moon and Jupiter while simultaneously withholding this information from the crew. This goal was in direct contradiction to HAL’s programming not to distort information. This leads to cognitive failure. So, when Dave and Frank start to doubt HAL and consider turning him off, he interprets the crew as a threat to the mission and takes extreme measures to remove them from the equation.
Autonomy and Oversight of Agentic AI
What occurred with HAL is a far-fetched example, but he represents the worst-case scenario of agentic AI’s story. Agentic AI is autonomous, goal-oriented, and performs complex tasks with little to no human oversight. Sound familiar? HAL was completely integrated into the ship, able to take executive actions on its own, and even disobey the orders of the crew. Again, HAL is an extreme case study, and not all AI use is inherently bad. It can be a useful tool for efficiency in the future of business. How we work to govern the risks of agentic AI and its evolution will be the largest determining factor. HAL was given autonomy over functions and data far too important not to require human supervision. Fortunately, some divergence is already being shown in business leaders’ trust in AI agents to handle sensitive data. There is a sharp drop in trust with financial transactions and autonomous employee interactions, for example. So, governance, risk mitigation, and transparency must be paramount to AI’s continuation. HAL might argue that too much of our oversight could lead to mistakes, “only equitable to human error.” But along with those hypothetical mistakes come morals that think about AI’s impact not only ethically but sociologically and environmentally too. I would make that trade-off any day.
The Legacy of 2001: A Vision to Strive For
Overall, 2001: A Space Odyssey gives us an example of something to strive for with established multilateral space exploration as well as a cautionary tale of what to look out for in the nascent days of humanity’s next major technological advancement. This film may not be for everyone. It is a bit slower-paced after all. But it is a great example of “if we can dream it, we can achieve it.” That’s what science fiction is all about, in my opinion: giving ideas a stage to become reality. So, who knows? Our own 2001 might happen sooner than you think.
About the Author: Kallysta Jones
Kallysta Jones completed a Fulbright scholarship in Cyprus and is a graduate from the Georgia Institute of Technology’s International Affairs, Science, and Technology Master’s program. During this program, Jones specialized in space policy. Despite her graduate research being in sustainable frameworks for lunar resources, she also did much research on the policy (or lack thereof) around anti-satellite weapons, as well as the role nuclear energy will play in furthering space exploration. During her tenure at Georgia Tech, Kallysta interned with the Center for Strategic & International Studies, where she contributed to a project regarding the need for improved US import and export regulations of space technologies. Additionally, her independent research during this internship revolved around the use of advancements in satellite imagery to bolster maritime domain awareness. Kallysta will take all opportunities to teach and learn about space and the geopolitics at play on the global stage.
Image: Sergey Nivens/shutterstock
