It is capable of studying intelligence and data fed to it, and on the basis of those facts only - not of emotions - deciding if an attack is about to be launched upon us. It is basically an electronic brain, but far more advanced than anything previously built. As the first citizen of my country, I have delegated my right to take my people to war. "As President of the United States of North America, I have to tell you, the people of the world, that as of eight o'clock Eastern Standard Time this morning the defense of the nation, and with it the defense of the free world, has been the responsibility of a machine. He fixed his gaze on the camera, and spoke with great solemnity. Such uncontrollability, in the opinion of the planners, is a virtue: Horribly reasonable! The two top military powers, having despaired of humanity's ability to keep the peace in any other way, each decide to entrust their nation's defence to a super-computer beyond their own control. Such powers are way out of our reach, whereas D F Jones builds his plot with contemporary logic, plain and inescapable, so that you can imagine Colossus actually being built with present-day resources and technology. Contrast it with the quite different theme you've just mentioned - the subconscious forces let loose into material reality by the super-advanced Krell in Forbidden Planet. It really is terrifyingly open and above-board. Zendexor: No, no, Harlei, it's nothing to do with the id Colossus is scary for the opposite reason. That's hardly "broad daylight", Zendexor! More like the "monsters of the id". Harlei: Wait! You talk of shudders that stem from within ourselves. Zendexor: It seems I've found a topic that suits your no-nonsense self, Stid. Because, in a story, when an AI goes wrong, it's really our fault. We can hope that it will explore those above-board shudders which arise not from utter alienage, nor from supernaturalism, but from a wrongness in the human spirit. And in tune with the modern myth of Frankenstein, we can expect something special from an AI saga. In really good sf, rationality, not in itself but in its implications, builds wonder. Zendexor: Rationality sounds boring, but you seem to get the point here.
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