HAL didn’t want to open the pod bay doors in “2001: A Space Odyssey”, but Google Allo is much more accommodating.
Corbis/Getty ImagesThings didn’t go so well when the humans of “2001: A Space Odyssey” tangled with artificial intelligence. Fortunately, Google’s Allo is much friendlier.
In the classic 1968 movie, astronaut Dave Bowman asked eerie supercomputer HAL to open the ship’s pod bay doors and let him back inside. HAL infamously replied, “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
Happily, when Twitter user Jennifer Harrison gave the same request to Google’s new Allo messaging app, Allo replied “I can’t do that… But there’s a spare key under the flowerpot outside the pod bay airlock. You can let yourself in!”
Google’s assistant in Allo pic.twitter.com/U43BwOmTv2
— Kylo Jen (@GeneticJen) September 21, 2016
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Allo, an app for both Android and iOS, includes Google Assistant, a bot that you can chat with to find out stuff in the form of a conversation. So if you ask for the latest sports scores, for example, Allo replies with the relevant information. Ask for for an interesting fact, and Allo will serve up a bit of trivia — say, Russia’s attitude to beer.
Easter eggs in AI apps are always a fun bonus. For example, Apple’s voice-activated personal assistant Siri is known for its sassy chat, while Amazon’s Alexa can quote Monty Python back at you.
Have you spotted an Easter egg while chatting with Allo? Let us know in the comments.
