“Colossus” Predicted AI Decades Ago

Advanced computer systems which become a little too intelligent, and ultimately pose a threat to mankind, have long been a staple of science-fiction cinema. These highly developed AIs include HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the manipulative Proteus in Demon Seed, the villainous Skynet from The Terminator, and the elaborate world-building machines featured in The Matrix. The 1970 thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, which features a super-intelligent computer system that makes a bid to take over the world, is one of the more intriguing entries in this popular sub-genre of sci-fi.

The film tells the story of Dr. Charles Forbin, who along with a team of top-level scientists, has constructed “Colossus,” a powerful computer designed to monitor and control the nuclear arsenal of the United States. The idea behind the creation of Colossus is that the machine will take the human element out of decisions involving the handling of nuclear weapons. This technological solution will hopefully prevent the start of World War III, and the resulting nuclear Armageddon.

Forbin and his team have done their job a little too well, however. Once Colossus is activated, the super-computer quickly becomes self-aware and is much more powerful than anyone thought was possible. The now omnipotent thinking machine reveals there is a similar and equally advanced computer in Russia called Guardian. Colossus orders that the two systems be linked together to create the ultimate artificial intelligence and threatens to fire nuclear missiles at both the United States and Russia if its demands are not met. The ultimate computer is now the ultimate threat and is willing to eliminate anyone or anything that stands in its way.

What follows is a race against time as Forbin and his colleagues work to disable these renegade machines before they take control of the world. The problem is that Colossus has seen the frailties and negative emotions inherent in humanity, and has decided we need a more logical entity in charge of the planet’s future. Like other science-fiction films of the 1970s, including Beneath the Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green, it doesn’t look like there’s a happy ending on the horizon for mankind under the rule of Colossus.

Eric Braeden, who plays Forbin, was best known at the time for his role on the TV series The Rat Patrol. Braeden later became famous as Victor Newman on the long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless. The supporting cast includes a host of familiar faces, including Susan Clark, William Schallert, Marion Ross, Martin E. Brooks, and Georg Stanford Brown. If the voice of Colossus sounds familiar, that’s because it belongs to veteran actor Paul Frees, who’s recognizable from his roles in a plethora of classic films, animated specials, and TV shows.

Colossus: The Forbin Project was directed by Joseph Sargent, who also helmed the original version of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. The screenplay was written by James Bridges, who later penned the scripts for The Paper Chase and The China Syndrome.

Colossus: The Forbin Project is a thought-provoking film, which works as both a cautionary tale and a tense, Cold War techno-thriller. The film is based on the novel Colossus by writer D.F. Jones, who also authored two sequels, The Fall of Colossus and Colossus and the Crab, though only the first book of the trilogy was adapted for the screen. The themes of the story feel even more relevant currently, as the use of AI continues to bring up questions about the proper use of technology, something which has become an integral part of our daily lives. Is there a Colossus in our future? Only time will tell.

-John Visconti

Photo: Pixabay