HAL - More than Just a Creepy Robot?

One aspect from class that I found especially interesting was the video clip of HAL the robot. Having watched 2001 a Space Odessey, I realized just how existential the movie is. It asked big questions about the universe, and questions the way we do things. I remember being terrified of HAL when I was younger, watching the movie. What I found so compelling was the argument of whether or not HAL was a human, if he expressed traits of human nature. The essentialism view might argue that human nautre is defined by a specifc set of characteristics, and because he does not portray all of them, he is not human. However, a more existentialist point of view would question if human nature even exists, and therefore could HAL be human? In my opinion, I do not think that HAL is human, but I think he has humanistic traits that reflect the intentions of those who made him. For example, they specifically programed him to be 100% confident in his abilities, whether or not he actually is 100% accurate. In their case, it ends up backfiring on them, demonstrating the negative intentions of the humans and of HAL.